The Captive
by w Blitz
Summary: Shepard and Vakarian were sworn enemies. Then, she saves his life in a meeting with a Thresher Maw and changes everything. Rated M for language and adult themes. Garrus/Femshep.
1. Losing Touch

**The Captive**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all

Chapter 1: Losing Touch

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Commander Shepard rested her assault rifle against her shoulder, her eyes narrowed out across the land. It was an interesting planet. The vegetation excelled during daylight hours- which were roughly between thirty to forty hours, depending on the day of the week and the placement of the system's sun.

During the night the planet inhaled it's vegetation, turned inside out so to speak. The planet became a barren wasteland. It was dangerous to be here during those hours. No cover what so ever, just a blank landscape- a killing zone.

They had a little more than two hours left of daylight. The shuttle that had just left hadn't had anymore room between the samples of vegetation and a dead Turian they had found. No contacts had been made in more than three cycles- Shepard sent her men off.

She couldn't stand the thought of leaving any of them behind without someone to watch their backs. She was their leader, so she would be the last to leave the battle field. Shepard stood by her ideals and morals with an iron fist. Always the first to arrive and the last to leave. Besides, she had two hours, they'd be back with another shuttle in a little more than an hour.

No problem.

Or so she thought, her eyes narrowed as she saw a twinkle in the foliage. That familiar glitter of glass- glass of a scope. She dove to the right as a bullet pounded beside her, narrowly dodging it. Shepard growled in annoyance. She _knew_ exactly _who_ it was firing on her.

Garrus fucking Vakarian.

He was the only one in all the Turian military that matched Shepard in her tactical prowess and marksmanship. She hadn't gotten close enough to test his hand to hand yet. Today, that would change. She pulled her pistol out as she took a running leap into the open.

Shepard made sure her movements were erratic- though that didn't console her much. As much as she hated to admit it, Vakarian was goddamn good at shooting and he _rarely_ missed his target.

She would never tell him that though. Shepard didn't even know the Turian personally and she _knew_ for a fact he was too goddamn cocky for his own good. If it wasn't for this war, maybe she might have known him, maybe they could have been friends, hell if she knew. She herself didn't really mind the thought of "aliens."

In fact, when she had been young she used to _dream_ of other intelligent life. She had made lists of questions she would ask when she became the first human to contact other life. That had been her dream.

Now, here she was gunning them down. _Funny._

Shepard ducked behind a tree as another shot whizzed past her. A grin crossed her face as she called out, "Losing your touch, Vakarian!"

She crawled behind a fallen tree around to his position. Her steps were silent, and her breath- even more so.

She could hear amongst the life in the forest the gentle hum of the Turian's breath. His soft shift of body, and quiet clicks of his scope.

Shepard pressed her pistol to his head. He froze as she whispered menacingly, "_Boo_."

Slowly, the Turian stood to his feet. He left his rifle on the ground as he turned to face Shepard. His mandibles twitched in what she could only describe as a smile. Her eyes raked over the fringe on his head, those ungodly deep blue eyes, and the navy colored blue tattoo's over his face.

Turian's were incredibly fascinating to Shepard. If it weren't for this war, she would have given anything to live amongst them and learn their language and ways of life. She heard they were all trained for the Military until age fifteen- but she wasn't sure if that was true.

Turian's were truly amazing soldiers. Loyal, steadfast, honorable- she would take a team of Turian's over any team the alliance could give her _any_ day. Of course she would never say that around the alliance, any emotions for the Turian's besides hatred could be grounds for a court martial. Maybe not. Still, she didn't need anymore enemies.

There was a faint smirk on Garrus' face as he began to speak. Turian's really did have lovely voices. She _loved_ the way Vakarian's voice rolled off of her body. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she became more aware of the way his voice effected her. _Fuck._ She sounded like a little school girl.

"I think _you_ are the one losing your touch, Shepard."

Her face blanked and then her eyes narrowed. She pressed the barrel of the pistol to his forehead. "How do you figure?"

She suddenly felt something pressing against her abdomen, the shit-eating grin on the Turian's face said it all. He one-upped her _real_ good. Her eyes landed on his own pistol. So- this is what it felt like to know your death was near.

_Fuck_ that.

Garrus faltered as she stood taller, her resolve strengthened. A broad grin crossed her face. "Nice one Vakarian. I'm not through with you yet though."

Shepard knew she had little to no time before he pulled the trigger. Garrus would make a point out of her. She acted quickly, her other arm sweeping his gun. She heard it go off; relief flooded her body as it hit somewhere behind her.

She slammed her body into the Turian to prevent him from shooting her again. She was about to pull the trigger when the man fell backwards over his perch. She tried to jump back but his talons wrapped around the neck of her armor.

Shepard was jerked forward with all the weight and force of the Turian tumbling down the steep cliff beside her.

They landed in a heap in a wide, open, barren wasteland. _Had nighttime already begun?_ Shepard jumped to her feet as her answer was made clear by the rumbling of the ground. _Thresher maw._

Shepard grabbed the Turian beside her and threw him to the side roughly- just as the giant worm roared out of the ground right where had been sitting.

He stumbled to his feet as Shepard grabbed his cowl again and drug him along. Acid sprung at their feet and she growled, "Come on, _Turian!_"

That seemed to be enough goading for him to get a hold of his bearings. They sprinted for the forest's cover when the ground began to rumble again. Shepard was terrified. She never could predict where these monsters would spring out next, she just forced herself forward as quickly she could alongside Garrus.

The rumbling was getting desperately close to them as they neared cover. With a final push, she shoved the Turian into the forest as the worm reared it's ugly head again. She felt the ground below her shift and roll- she found herself running along it's backside.

It was slimy and slippery, it was difficult for her to regain her balance. The maw screamed angrily as it whipped it's head around trying to attack her. She felt acid sprinkle on her armor, damaging her shields thoroughly. The majority of it was wreaking havoc on the worm's body.

Shepard smirked as she ran up it's head with all intent to jump into the tree line. Of course; that would not be so. The thresher maw flung it's head one last time and Shepard found herself going airborne with all the force of it's fling.

She yelped pitifully. Shepard had never been a big fan of falling. Her body crashed into the tree line. She smacked each branch painfully until she hit the ground with a dull thud. She rolled over onto her back, faintly seeing an outline above her.

A Turian.

He crouched down beside her. She could barely make out the ungodly blue eyes of her enemy as the world blurred and spun around her. She sputtered, "V-Vakaria-"

Shepard's eyes closed and didn't open again as the world blackened around her.

Garrus stared at her in interest as he applied some medigel to her damaged healing unit. His enemy saved his life. Several times that day- all while trying to kill him. The Turian was thoroughly confused. There was something calming about the peaceful look that creased over the Commander's face.

All the furrows and lines were spread smooth. By human standards, he knew her to be a prize- someone highly sought after. By Turian standards, she was passable. Her hair was a pleasing color, and her waist was tapered nicely. He didn't have a human fetish. But he didn't dislike humans either.

Shepard was the best of them, and that he liked. She was an incredible soldier, she rivaled him and he reveled every time they met on the battlefield. He recognized her sweet scent, the way she shot, the way she walked. It had been his goal to be the one to take down Shepard, and here she had just saved his life.

No matter what the other Turian's thought. He wouldn't execute an unarmed opponent. Garrus scooped her up in his arms. He tried to ignore the warmth her body brought to his. His omni tool lit up brightly as he called for extraction.

"On our way Vakarian."

Garrus paused, "I have a hostage, I guess you could say."

"_Hostage?"_

"Yes. I've captured Commander Athena Shepard."

**I am such a huge fan of FemShep and Garrus' romance in mass effect 3. Seriously, their romance is just the best love story of all time. :) Anyways, I've been reading and I find the stories in which they meet before the whole Reaper thing realllllyyyy intriguing. This has been in my mind for some time, so I thought I'd throw it out there to see what y'all think. Let me know!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Fetishes

**The Captive**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 2: Fetishes

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"Shepard."

_She heard a gentle humming sound. Everything around her was so foggy and she was desperately trying to locate the source of that wonderful sound. It seemed to echo against her body, warmed her to her very depths. _

Vakarian growled and shook her softly, "Shepard!"

_Her world began to shake violently, and then amidst the chaos came that wonderful, wonderful sound again. It was her name being called, but by who? She called out, but no answer ever came. Her world began to rock again and the fog began to lift-_

Shepard's eyes snapped open. Steel gray on a very lovely shade of blue connected. She lurched in recognition, her fight instincts kicking in. Vakarian jumped back.

She had been stripped of her armor and was left in the tight black under suit. It was interesting seeing her as so. She appeared so fragile and small, _feminine._ His eyes raked over her body as she struggled against the restraints, her back arched in a wonderful display of flexibility.

Garrus growled willing away the thoughts that threatened his mind. "Shepard, calm down-"

"Don't fucking tell me what to do."

Garrus grinned, "So polite of you after I saved your life."

Shepard let loose a loud and sarcastic laugh, "Oh, really? As I recall I was the one who pulled _your_ ass straight out of that giant worms mouth."

The Turian crossed his arms uncomfortably. "Yeah. Thanks for that." He coughed into his shoulder trying to avoid eye contact with her.

The woman looked away awkwardly, "Yeah. Whatever."

"Why did you?"

Shepard growled, "I will be the one to kill you. Not some pathetic worm."

Garrus grinned. "Well, now that you are my hostage-"

She cut him off promptly, "Hold it right there. _Hostage?_ Take me out of these restraints and we'll see _who_ exactly the hostage is-"

A darker colored Turian walked into the room. His face was tattooed heavily in white ink, his green eyes blazed under the contrast. "Well, isn't she..._feisty._"

Shepard's eyes narrowed at the darker Turian. "Who the hell are you?"

"Do you talk to all your captors this way?" He queried with a lazy look on his face.

"_Captor?_ You use that word...I don't think it means what you think it means. I was _knocked_ out because I saved this asshole." She gestured towards Garrus before continuing. "He didn't _capture_ me. You _took_ me. Not the same thing."

Garrus growled, "It's pretty much the same thing."

"No it is not. That's like saying killing someone in a fight and killing someone while they're asleep is the same thing. One is a fight, the other is murder. You fucking kidnapped me, that's what you did."

He glared at her in annoyance and went to reply before the darker Turian stopped him.

"My name is Nihlus, I'm a council Spectre. We're here to interrogate you-"

"Well you might as well kill me now _Nihlus, _I'm not telling you anything."

Garrus gave her a bone chilling grin. "You say that now."

Shepard, in all her career very rarely ever had time to feel fear. She just acted in the best interests of her squad and mission at all times. Now, she had no one to worry about but herself and the integrity of the Alliance Navy as a whole.

She felt fear course through her veins at the implications of Garrus' words. Shepard handled pain pretty damn well, but only a human could take so much pain before their mind began to break apart and themselves as a whole disintegrated.

She didn't want to know herself one day and find that she is a total new whack job the next all at the cause of torture. Turian's were pretty mean bastards, she didn't _want_ anything to do with the torture they could deal out.

Her heart began to race as her mind sorted through hundreds of ways she could make an escape. She was on a ship that was without a doubt Turian. She knew they would have escape pods.

She just needed to break free of restraints first and she could get there mostly intact. She was sure of it. Shepard could then send out a distress call to the alliance with her omni-tool through the hardwiring in the escape pod.

Sure. It could work. It was either die fighting her way out, or die suffering from torture.

Of course, she picked the former. The two Turian's were studying her intensely. Shepard managed to speak, "Well, if I'm going to be interrogated, aren't you going to take me to some special room and to a special chair for all sorts of special tortures?" She lifted her chin in defiance.

_Fuck _them.

Nihlus nodded his head to Garrus. A couple other Turian's entered the room and began removing her restraints. Shepard stepped off the bed, Garrus grabbed her arm to escort her. She followed willingly as her eyes scanned the halls of the Turian ship.

Escape pods were tactically always in the center of the ship on the middle floor. Judging from the mess hall, she guessed this could possibly be the middle floor. If not, she would have to fight her way around the ship until she did find the escape pods.

It was her only hope.

Garrus began to turn her down a hallway and she took this as her chance. Her elbow came up sharply into his face. He snarled in pain as he crashed into the wall of the ship. Shepard ducked a blow from one of the escorting Turian's and head butted the other for good measure.

She broke into a dead sprint, sliding across the smooth floors as she fled down a different hallway. There were yells breaking out across the ship and she could hear the steady thump of Garrus and Nihlus following her.

She came to another split hallway. Nihlus appeared in front of her with a devilish grin on his face. "Nice try-"

Shepard cut him off by slamming his face against the wall and tripping his legs with a sharp kick to his knees. He howled in pain as he fell to the floor. The bulkhead smeared in blue. She charged down the corridor and slid into another room, she saw across the hall were the escape pods.

Relief flooded her body until she realized there were at least a dozen Turian's staring at her. It was the goddamn training room. They began to move towards her and Shepard darted towards the exit, a Turian stepped in front of her.

She dropped to the floor and slid into his legs. His face slammed into the floor as she wriggled out from under his body. _Just a hallway to go._

Shepard sprinted as hard as her screaming muscles would allow her to. Garrus leapt in front of her before she entered the room. Her body hit his full force and they crashed to the floor.

She straddled his waist and lay in a few good punches to his face. Blood spattered from the force of her fists to his nose. He bucked his hips and she rolled across the floor to her feet. Nihlus and several other Turian's began to enter the room.

Shepard made a jump for one of the escape pods. Garrus' arms wrap around her waist and threw her to the floor. She arched her back and leapt to her feet in a single, fluid motion. The butt of a gun suddenly blinded her vision as it made contact with her temple.

Shepard collapsed to the floor, her head roaring in pain. She growled as she pushed herself up again. Her breath was heavy and ragged and she felt blood trickling down the side of her face. Garrus stared at her as she moved around him.

She couldn't simply jump into the escape pod, she would have to incapacitate him. Which was unlikely. Shepard did the only thing she knew she could do- fight. She lunged at his midsection and slammed him against the wall.

She laid several punches into his stomach. Satisfaction coursed through her veins at the gasp of air he struggled to take. His talons grabbed her wrists as she kneed him hard, he stumbled forward and Shepard threw her head forward violently. Garrus was knocked to the floor from the force of her head butt.

She saw a Turian lift his gun to her again. She grabbed the butt of the rifle and laid into his face as heavily as she could. Shepard pulled the gun from his grasp and lifted it to her sights. Several Turian's backed away nearly immediately.

Nihlus hadn't moved a muscle. Instead, he was leaning against the wall casually. Watching her with mild interest. Garrus stood slowly to his feet as blood poured from his facial wounds.

"You're not going to want to fire that gun."

Shepard sneered, "Why's that?"

The Turian laughed at her as if she was stupid. "It isn't made for your human's fragile bones, it'll shatter every bone in your arm."

Shepard hesitated slightly as the information hit her. This was all Garrus needed. He knocked the rifle out of her grasp and pushed her against the wall. His arm pressed against her throat and closed off her airway.

She struggled desperately against his hold. He growled, "Stop fighting."

With a lack of oxygen, her punches were weak and did little to deter Garrus as he stared into her eyes. He really did have quite lovely eyes. Her hands tried to reach his fringe, to pull at anything to stop him from choking her out.

Her eyes watered as her fingers grasped the soft skin beneath his fringe. A look of complete bewilderment crossed Garrus' face as he jumped away from her, "Stop that."

She choked and coughed as she fell to her knees. Garrus rubbed the back of his head in a state of complete trauma. Nihlus laughed loudly. "She probably doesn't know Garrus, I wouldn't take it personally."

Shepard sputtered, "K-Know what?"

Nihlus strode forward, "That what you just grasped at is a very personal spot on Turians. It's often used in sex." He gave her a wonderful shit-eating grin.

The look that crossed Shepard's face was hilarious to say the least. Garrus thought the humiliating incident was nearly worth it. _Nearly_.

She couldn't believe it. Were they just trying to distract her? Could she be categorized as an accidental sexual predator now? How fucking humiliating.

Shepard slowly stood again, her eyes glanced at the escape pods. Garrus growled, "Don't even think about it." He still rubbed the back of his head as he cast her a wary glance.

She glared at him as she wiped her face, her hands were covered in blue and red blood. Shepard spoke, "I'm not going anywhere with you. Either you let me leave now or you kill me. I will not allow myself to be broken under torture."

She stood to her full height. Her hands fisted in defiance and ready to fight again. Garrus muttered, "Just stop-"

Shepard snarled, "No! I won't stop fighting. I will _never_ stop fighting you."

At the first contact of a Turian's talons to her arm, She swung violently. Nihlus tackled her midsection, and she delivered a blow to his face with her knee. She wrenched his body over hers so that she was on top of him. Her knees dug into his arms as she held him pinned.

Garrus grabbed her and pulled her off of him, he wrapped his arms tightly around her so she couldn't move at all. He tripped over the Widow and landed on his ass painfully. He growled as he became increasingly aware of her position in his lap.

She struggled against him desperately, her body writhing against his plates. Garrus shut his eyes tight as he willed the thoughts away. They _needed_ to go away. He didn't need to deal with _that_ on top of all this. What the _hell_ was wrong with him?

Garrus ducked his head as she flung her head back in an attempt to head butt him again. "What the hell is with you and head butts woman?"

Shepard growled against him. His eyes found the gentle swoop of where her shoulder and neck connected. It looked so incredibly tender. He resisted every urge and instinct in his body to latch on to the undoubtedly sweet skin. _Knock it the fuck off, Vakarian. _

He forced her onto her stomach, a Turian stepped forward with restraints. Garrus got out of his way so he could contain her. Nihlus nodded to him as they took her away kicking and fighting violently.

"She's tough." Nihlus said simply.

Garrus grunted. "She's crazy."

The Turian grinned at him slyly, "I saw you're reaction to the way she touched you. The way you moved. You fucking liked it."

Garrus tried to look disgusted, but Nihlus knew him too well. He crossed his arms uncomfortably. "I- it was weird."

The other Turian nodded his head in understanding. "Don't worry, any other Turian would have responded the same way. I've been with humans before. They're interesting to say the least. I bet Shepard would be good though. She isn't fragile and weak like all-"

"Okay now. We don't need to-"

"What? Afraid of what you might find if you explore it?" Nihlus gave him quite the demonic grin. Garrus just stared at him and shook his head.

"I _don't_ have a human fetish."

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**Loving the reviews guys! Thank you so much for the response :) I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as possible.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	3. Murder

**The Captive**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 3: Murder

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"The Alliance will be looking for me, it's in your best interest to-"

Nihlus cut her off, "Actually, we've found reports of Commander Shepard dying in a tragic thresher maw attack. They are none the wiser."

Shepard felt the color drain from her face. She _didn't _like this one bit. They were holding all the cards- they could do whatever they wanted to her and never suffer any retaliation. She started weakly, "What do you want from me?"

"Just some records from the Alliance-"

"No. They may think I'm dead, but I'm not helping any of you dinosaurs." She spat angrily. Shepard looked away as his talons clicked the table, bored. Her arms strained against the cuffs and the chair. Ever since her _little_ outburst, they've made it nearly impossible for her to pull it again. _Nearly._

She was Commander Shepard after all. If they didn't kill her beforehand, she would find a way to escape. Nihlus tilted his head,

"Garrus is protecting you for now. But if Saren gets here, you better have some answers. A lot of his subjects never come out of interrogation if they don't give him what he wants."

She snarled, "Take me out of these restraints and your little Saren will wish he never came in here."

The Turian's mandibles twitched into some semblance of a smile. Shepard growled, "You said Garrus is protecting me?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah. Don't ask me why, because I don't know. I may be a Spectre, but Garrus is one hell of a force to go against."

She nearly smiled. "Yeah. He is."

"What was the Alliance doing on that planet?"

Shepard shrugged as she mulled over the answers. Whether, they were dangerous to reveal or not. It really wasn't classified material. "We were examining the vegetation. You have to understand, this is humanity's first time outside of our _planet_. There's a huge Galaxy out there to explore, we want to understand it."

"How do you feel about Turian's, Commander?"

Shepard laughed, "I'm not fueling your ego's."

Nihlus chuckled softly, "That's interesting that the leader of humanity, the poster child, is not a xenophobe."

"I'm not their leader. I'm just part of a few. If I had it my way, I would have given anything to live amongst Turian's and learn your language and the way you're raised. You have a fascinating race, Nihlus. Too bad we're in this conflict as enemies."

"We don't have to be enemies."

"When this _Saren_ gets here, I'm sure I'll find that hard to believe."

Nihlus nodded his head, he looked to the side as his ear piece lit up. "Right. Yeah, let him in." He looked up. His green eyes connected with hers in understanding. He stood up to leave, Shepard hissed, "Let me out of these restraints, _please_. I need a fighting chance."

The Turian shook his head, "I can't do that. I'm sorry Commander. I'll be pleased to hear if you survive."

And with that he left. More chilling words could never be spoken. _If you survive._ Her body tensed as her heart began to race in panic. She jerked her arms against the arms of the chair, it gave a little hop. The door opened and she saw Saren and Garrus in a heated argument.

Garrus threw up his arms in exasperation. Saren shook his head and pushed him away before walking into the room. The last look she got to the outside was Garrus standing with his arms crossed angrily, staring at her.

Shepard swallowed slowly as Saren walked around her silently. He was huge. Taller than Garrus and Nihlus and any other Turian she had ever seen. The Turian's seemed relatively lean and muscular. This Turian, however was a tank all over. He stood behind her, "I'm a Spectre-"

"You might as well kill me now, I'm not saying anything."

His talons gripped her skull and slammed her face into the table. She felt the trickle of blood and the familiar crack of a breaking bone. She groaned as he held her face to the table, she sputtered in the pool of blood that was forming around her face.

The metallic taste filled her mouth, she tried spitting it out. This _asshole_ was going to drown her in her _own_ blood.

"I will be the one talking. Don't speak unless I've-"

"_Fuck_ you, _Mr. Spectre."_ She spoke snidely. A smirk crossed her face as he growled in irritation. He grabbed her by the hair and wrenched her head back. She repressed the groan of pain that threatened her.

She wouldn't give this _Turian_ any satisfaction.

"You have someone of ours-"

Shepard was confused. They didn't have anyone, she would have been the first to know if they had captured a live hostage. "We don't have anyone."

"Don't _lie_ to me you disgusting meat sack."

She couldn't help it, she laughed. "_Meat sack?_"

One of Saren's powerful arms swept around. Her head was knocked to the side from the force behind the swing. She felt that familiar metallic taste filling in her mouth again, she glared at the Turian beside her.

He was _fuming_. She loved it.

He grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall. The chair fell to the floor with a heavy, resounding clap. Shepard struggled for air. The Turian growled, "Tell me where the Turian is-"

She spit and a spatter of red sprinkled his face. It was delightful the look of pure rage that crossed his facade. He threw her against the wall, she hit it with a dull thud and slid down. The world spun around her, but she made a stand as Saren turned his back on her.

At the sound of her shuffling, he looked at her. It all happened so quickly to Shepard. She hadn't even seen him draw the gun. After the bullet fired, she saw it, and she most definitely saw it when she felt her insides being torn apart by it's velocity.

She gave a weak whimper. Shepard looked down and saw the blood from her stomach. So much blood. How could her small body keep so much? She collapsed to her knees as she felt her body's strength dissolving with every drop of blood that exited the wound.

Saren slammed the door open and stormed out. Several Turian's were rushed in by Garrus and Nihlus. One applied medigel the other was removing the restraints. Garrus lifted her into his arms. She sputtered with a bloody grin, "I-I survived."

Nihlus chuckled weakly, "Yes, yes you did."

* * *

Shepard groaned in pain. Her stomach felt like it was on fire. Her eyes took in her surroundings. It was familiar but strange all at once.

_It hadn't been a dream._

She was still on the Turian ship, and beside her was Garrus. His blue eyes stared at her intensely. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got shot." She muttered.

Garrus' mandibles twitched. "I don't understand why you just-"

"If you were being interrogated would _you_ give up information?"

"No-"

She cut him off. "Then I rest my case."

Shepard turned her back to him. Garrus' eyes traveled from her smooth shoulders down to the curve of her waist and hips. She was truly a sight to behold. _Not now, Vakarian. Focus._

She turned slightly to look at him, his eyes met hers. "We did find a dead Turian on that planet though."

The news shocked Garrus to his core. His eyes widened, "Why didn't you tell Saren?"

"I wasn't giving that bastard any satisfaction. Besides, I needed to tell you first. There was something interesting about the Turian we found."

Shepard struggled to sit up, her core screaming in pain. She felt Garrus' hands on her back, helping her. She looked at him steadily.

The Turian promptly withdrew his hands awkwardly. _How adorable._ Shepard gave him a small smile, "Thanks."

He visibly relaxed and nodded his head. "About the Turian?"

"Yeah. You're friend, he was murdered."

Garrus' eyes narrowed, "How do you know that?"

"Well, either that or he really enjoys his sex rough." Garrus cringed at the thought as his mind drifted to only a few days ago when Shepard had grasped his fringe. The feeling it shot through his body straight to his- _Stop it Vakarian._

"There were ligatures on his wrists and feet from being tied up. His fringe was split and he had several cuts to his face. And all of that combined with being spaced, I'd say he was tortured heavily, possibly had been interrogated."

Realization dawned on the Turian. "That's why you didn't tell Saren." He paused before he turned to look at her again, "So, why tell me?"

"Because you are just about the only person on this ship that I trust with this information." She stared at him hard. Daring him to break her trust. Garrus dropped his head, mandibles twitching, "Well, Thank you for trusting me."

She grunted and looked away. Shepard would deny it, but she was beginning to really enjoy the Turian's company. The way he looked at her when he was thinking, his laugh. His voice- God that voice. Then there was his awkwardness, it had an air of charm and a sort of adorableness to it. What the _hell_ was wrong with her? Was she in one of those situations where women began to care for their captors? _No._ Garrus _wasn't_ her captor.

Besides, she had felt this way even before. When they were simply enemies. _Fuck._ She had a _serious_ problem.

Garrus had to do something for her. She placed her trust in him. Nihlus would need to know. But before that, he needed to show her that he trusted her as well. Wasn't that how humans operated? Give a little something, to be given something back?

He wasn't sure, but he would anyway. Shepard had possibly given them a clue in this case that had been sitting idle for years. Murder? It was inconceivable.

What Shepard hadn't known was that this murdered Turian was a Spectre, and also Saren's younger brother.

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**I am loving the feedback I'm getting from y'all! Thank you so much!I've never had such a reaction to a story before! Thank you for reading and reviewing!**


	4. Targets

**The Captive**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 4: Targets

* * *

Shepard curled her body against the wall. It was cold in the holding cells. And lonely. She had made a full recovery from the incident with Saren and was moved to their "brig" of sorts.

At least she wasn't chained up anymore. The bed was huge, it was made for a Turian, so she slept quite comfortably in what would be uncomfortable for their species. She heard the door open to the room. Shepard looked out the bars, trying to see down the hall who it was.

It didn't really matter, she would recognize that voice anywhere. She smiled. _Garrus._ The Turian appeared in front of her. He looked slightly awkward and was holding something behind his back. Shepard backed away cautiously.

"Haven't come to execute me, have you?"

Garrus visibly relaxed and grinned, "No, not yet."

It became quiet again while Shepard studied him. He started, "I-I uh, figured you could use something to entertain yourself."

Her eyebrows raised, Garrus slid a book in between the bars. Her eyes latched on to his as her hands grabbed a hold. "Garrus-"

He cut her off, "It's just a book on Turian customs and their language and things. I-I uh, just remember what you told Nihlus- about wanting to learn, uh, us."

Her eyes were wide and adoring as her hands rubbed the soft leather covering. "I haven't seen an actual book in years. Where did you get this?"

Garrus held his arms behind his back, "An antique store on the citadel, they take some of the modern works and make them look old, for keep sakes mostly."

Shepard grinned, "You like antique stores?"

"Only if they're classy." He rebutted.

The woman looked down at the book, a small wonderful teasing feeling began in her stomach, when she held the gift to her chest. She spoke sincerely, "Thank you Garrus, you have no idea how much this means to me."

Garrus wouldn't admit it, but he felt a strong sense of pride at having made her smile like that. The look of wonder in her eyes was unmistakable and absolutely endearing. "You're welcome." Before he could leave, he felt her hand clasp his through the bars.

She spoke softly, "Can you tell me what the Citadel is like?"

His heart roared at the simple touch. It was almost ridiculous, the fire that started in his toes and worked it's way up, heating him and teasing him. He felt clammy and weak, and had a stupid grin that wouldn't leave his face.

"Sure."

Shepard sat on her bed crossed legged near the bars. Garrus pulled up a chair. He told her of it's massive size, how when it opens it looks like what she called a "star." That at night it lit up like the night sky.

He told her of the population of different types of aliens, the council, and the presidium. Each time he looked into her eyes, she saw a look of complete hunger and wonder at all the information. He loved it. Garrus was the one getting her excited and happy, and nothing could ever make him feel more wonderful than that.

* * *

Where have you been?" Nihlus muttered as he threw a Turian trainee over his back.

Garrus shrugged, "I was with Athe- Shepard. She wanted to know about the Citadel."

The other Turian stood up, a look of questioning on his face. "For two and a half hours?"

If it had been possible, Garrus would have blushed. He shrugged, "Well, the Citadel is a big place."

"Righttttt."

Garrus glared at him, he went to the weights when he felt Nihlus snag him and throw him down on the ground. "Nihlus!"

"Come on, lets spar. I'd like to hear more about your little "chat" with your _hostage_. If that's what she is."

The Turian threw a punch, "Are you trying to insinuate something?"

Nihlus ducked, "Oh no, I'm just curious about your evolving relationship-"

"She's my prisoner and that is all, _Nihlus._"

"Oh, sure. And the little gift?"

Garrus felt a pit of humiliation and anger rise from his core. He grabbed Nihlus and threw him to the ground roughly, "I just thought-"

He jerked back as the Turian laid in a good punch, "-she could use some entertainment."

"I bet some of your other hostages from before could have-" The darker colored Turian jumped out of Garrus' reach. "-used some entertainment."

Garrus tackled Nihlus to the floor, "She's different."

The Turian shoved him off, his green eyes peering at the defensive blue ones, "How so?"

"We don't plan on executing her. We-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. _We aren't_. That doesn't mean the Turian hierarchy isn't. She's a high value prisoner, and she's killed several Turians."

Garrus felt as if he had been punched in the gut. "Turian hierarchy has always left it up to me."

"Yes, this is a little different. You captured Commander Shepard. _Commander Shepard._ Just because it's war, doesn't make her offenses any less than that of a war criminal."

"That's not right." Garrus sputtered. He felt as if he had been thrown in the middle of a blizzard. His mind roared angrily, and his heart shook.

"That's only because you've developed feelings for her. You've gotten too close."

Garrus growled, "I have not developed _feelings_ for her. I just didn't think they planned on executing her."

Nihlus shrugged, "Not yet anyway. I've been trying to hold them off with the information she gave you. As long as they think she might be of use, she'll live."

"You'll let me know when that changes?"

Nihlus nodded his head, "Yes, I'll let you know as soon as I possibly can."

"Thank you." He muttered.

The darker Turian slapped him on the back, "Come on. She isn't a target yet."

_Yet._

* * *

Shepard curled up against the corner of her cell, her nose in the book Garrus had given her. There was _so_ much to their species! She was surprised to learn how relaxed the Turian military was on rules of fraternization and such.

It later described the life style of the average soldier in the Turian Military, and she wasn't surprised they were so lax. They ran them so hard, and such long hours. It really was no wonder humanity was getting their ass handed to them. She heard the whirring of the door opening down the hall.

Shepard lowered the book as a Turian she didn't recognize entered. He was a sludge gray color all over, tall, and held an air of command around him. He bright, cat-like yellow eyes, and off white tattoo's all over his face.

Another thing she had learned from her book was that a bare-faced Turian was considered untrustworthy. She noted that Saren had been bare-faced.

"I am General Adrien Victus. I understand that you are Commander Shepard?"

Shepard raised her eyebrows. _General Victus._ "What does a General want with me?"

Victus chuckled. "You don't realize how well known you are. Everyone in the Turian Military knows of you. The fact that you are a hostage now has been an enormous moral boost to our soldiers." He looked off towards the doors, his talons clasped behind his back.

"Especially after you caused that _disruption_ on my ship. A Spectre and our top hand to hand specialist had a rough time with you I understand."

_His ship. Fuck._ Shepard repressed the urge to grimace. She didn't have time to formulate a reply when Victus spoke again. "As soldier to soldier, I would like you to join me for lunch."

Shepard stood slowly, her mind racing at his request. _Play nice, Shepard._ "I- well, certainly, I'd love to."

She did her best to remain polite. He was a General after all and he was in charge of this ship. He could be her ticket to escaping her inevitable execution.

Shepard was led from her cell grate by Victus towards the mess hall. Two Turian's escorted her side by side. She couldn't really blame them, she had caused quite the scene last time. Shepard's eyes roamed the mess hall with interest. The roar of chatter in the room seemed to quiet down upon her entrance.

She felt their eyes all turn to her, burning her, staring into her. Her body started to heat up with panic- she never was good with large crowds of people who were her enemy. A plate of food was delivered to her. They had been feeding her what they call 'Asari' dishes. She supposed the Asari were relatively similar in body structure to humans.

Shepard would love to meet one in person though. She just wanted to explore the Galaxy, see all there was to see. Victus was studying her with his yellow beady eyes, she spoke slowly, "Something you'd like to ask?"

His mandibles twitched, "You humans are a curious species?"

Shepard nodded her head, "Mostly. That's what brought us through the relay initially. Though, curiosity gave way to those that just wanted war."

"You don't like the war?"

"No. Don't get me wrong, I serve my people with the utmost honor and loyalty I can deliver, but I believe and hope for peace. The senseless killing of each other is doing either side no good."

Victus rubbed a talon along his mandible, listening intently.

"When I was a child, I used to dream of other civilizations in space. I used to think that when we ever met, it would be enlightening, we would share our technology." Shepard gave a distant chuckle, her eyes held a far off look. She returned her gaze to Victus. "Child naiveté I suppose."

The General nodded his head. "Your species is very diverse. I heard an Asari speak of your kind. You have many languages and cultures?"

Shepard nodded her head. "Our planet is very split. We have Asians, Germans, Mexicans, Arabians, Americans, Canadians. There are just too many to name, we have many countries which resemble a home world for each of your species. Each has their own government. We have formed alliances between each country, and it seems like we can't go even half a century without war breaking out."

"How is it you have a functioning military which such division?"

"The Alliance is it's own military, any country, any race can be in the alliance military. With space exploration, it really has brought our planet together as one species."

"I find your species incredibly interesting." Victus murmured.

Shepard chuckled, "I find your species incredibly interesting General. I'd never admit it to anyone else, but I'd take a Turian squad over any human squad any day."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Turian's are so driven for the mission. You aren't guaranteed that in humans."

"You've done pretty well with your human squad. Taken out a fair many of my Turian squads."

She nodded her head, "Sometimes, all it takes is a good leader to get humans motivated. Once a person is driven for something, few things will stop them. I'm sure that's the same for any race."

Victus smiled. Suddenly a voice spoke out, "Shepard?"

She turned to see Garrus staring at her and Victus in shock. The General nodded his head, "Vakarian. The Commander and I were just having a little chat. I'd like to see you incorporate her into training regiments with some of our squads. Might as well give her something to do and learn in her stay here."

Shepard's eyes widened with delight. Train _with_ the Turian's? _Fuck _yes.

The General stood, "I need to return to my duties. Nice talking with you Commander."

"Pleasures mine, General."

Garrus sat down beside her, his mind appeared to be processing the information. "What did you tell him?"

Shepard had the biggest shit eating grin on her face. "That's for me to know, and you to find out, huh?"

He stared at her as if she had grown two heads. "How did you go from hostage to guest?"

Shepard muttered, _"Kidnapped." _Before she continued teasingly_,_ "I don't know, maybe because I am the amazing Commander Shepard."

"We'll just see about that." A feminine voice spoke from off to the side. Her talons were on her hips as she eyed Shepard suspiciously.

Garrus muttered, "Shepard, this is Vitani. She's the top ranked hand to hand specialist _besides me_." His mandibles quirked in a grin.

Shepard turned to Vitani, she was eyeing Garrus with a look of pure lust. Her stomach ruptured with jealousy and envy. It was obvious the two had something between them, and nothing angered Shepard more than that. What the _hell_ was wrong with her? She didn't own Garrus. He was a Turian for fuck's sake.

He was her captor. Nothing more. The sooner she realized that, the better.

* * *

**Thank you to all for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoy the chapter!**


	5. Green Monster

**The Captive**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 5: Green Monster

* * *

"Humans are pathetic. They're brash, unintelligent, and they never learn." Vitani said acerbically.

Shepard's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms. The pale faced Turian continued. "Your species throws bodies at their problems to solve them. No tact or strategy is ever used-"

She cut the Turian woman off in the middle of her speech to the group of trainees. "That isn't true."

Shepard had begun to say something of the last Turian squad she and her group had completely slaughtered, but thought better of it- seeing as she was surrounded by Turian's. It didn't seem like such a good idea, no matter how satisfying it might have been.

Vitani glared, "I'm the trainer here, and although I don't agree with Victus allowing you to tag along, you'll be learning from me."

Which was a long way of saying, _shut up._ Shepard rolled her eyes. "You're letting your hatred of humanity cloud your judgment. No wonder the Turian squads aren't standing up to humanity's squads."

"_What_ did you say?"

Shepard growled, "You heard me loud and clear. Your overall military is far superior to my Alliance, but your squads are getting slaughtered- probably because they have Turian's like _you_ training them. You underestimate the intelligence and adaptability of humanity."

Nihlus leaned against the door way with interest. Just as Vitani made a menacing move to attack Shepard, he spoke up, "She's right, Vitani. Humanity is smart, Shepard is the very example-"

"Just because a little _human_ took you and Garrus down, isn't an example of anything except that you two are getting weak."

Shepard snorted. "Nihlus and Garrus are considered weak? They're the only resistance the Turian squads provided against humanity's tactical squads."

Vitani's forearm came up harshly against Shepard's face, her head was jerked to the side as she felt a welt forming. "You will speak when spoken to, _prisoner._"

"Vitani!" Hissed Nihlus.

Shepard got in the taller woman's face, snarling. "I am not_ your _prisoner, and most of all I am _not_ a prisoner."

They stood in each other's way, staring each other down. The Turian's in the training room held their breaths, waiting for the inevitable fight to explode between the two warring females. Vitani shoved Shepard back. "You better watch yourself _little human._ Garrus and Nihlus won't always be around to save you."

The smaller woman gave a rough shove in return. "You better watch _yourself_ before I make an example of you in front of all your trainees."

Vitani began to circle Shepard slowly, like a predator would it's prey. She gave a harsh cackle, "Are you going to make good on that threat? I'd like to see you try."

The hair on the back of Shepard's neck bristled as her instincts screamed for her to fight. She went to turn before the Turian woman knocked her forward. Shepard retaliated violently. Her body twisted and she landed a harsh kick to Vitani's midsection.

Despite their size difference, the Turian woman was knocked back roughly against the wall. Silence ensued as she gasped for air, and the shock on her face was clear to all. Shepard stood, her breath even as she watched the woman like a hawk.

A second wouldn't go by that she was unaware of the Turian's movements. She gave a feral growl and launched towards Shepard. Vitani landed a strike into her abdomen and then an uppercut to her face. Shepard stumbled backwards as blood trickled down her cheek.

The satisfaction on Vitani's face was enough to make her blood boil. _Fuck_ her. Shepard tackled her to the ground, only to be thrown forward face first. The Turian kicked her roughly in the ribcage causing her to yelp in pain. _Pitiful. Get your fucking act together, Shepard._

Shepard rushed her again, dodging a jab at her side, and ducking another to her face. She landed a few good strikes to the Turian's stomach, and a knee to her thigh. Vitani's leg gave out from the kick. Shepard took the opening and dealt a face breaking blow to the woman's mandibles.

The Turian cried out. There wasn't any sweeter sound than her pain. Except maybe Garrus' voice. _Fuck. Focus, Goddamn it._

Vitani landed a jab to Shepard's throat. She choked and coughed and the Turian woman took advantage of her momentary distraction. She held Shepard hunched over and landed her knee several times in the human's ribcage.

The satisfying cracking sound made her release Shepard's body, only to crumple to the floor. Vitani walked away, swaying her hips in victory. Garrus stood in the doorway, shaking his head. Shepard didn't know how long he had been standing there, but when Vitani laid a hand on his shoulder, her rage returned full force.

Shepard spluttered, "I'm not done with you yet, _bitch._"

Her ribcage screamed as she stood to her feet again. She repressed the whimper that threatened her lips, her movements were erratic and slow as the pain hindered her greatly. She threw Vitani to the floor roughly.

The Turian woman landed another kick to Shepard's ribcage. This time she couldn't hold it back, and a yelp of pain resounded across the room as she collapsed to her knees. Vitani stood over Shepard with a sneer, the Turian's knee connected with her nose. She felt the painful tug at her hair as she was thrown onto her back.

The world spun around her in a great blur. Her head throbbed, her ribcage throbbed. _Get the fuck up._ Shepard groaned in pain as she rolled over and struggled to her feet. Vitani turned and muttered,

"I'll give you one thing, you can take a fair many hits."

She balled her first and went to strike Shepard's already bloody face. Her process was stopped short as her fist struck the palm of Shepard's hand. In a flash, the smaller woman twisted the Turian's arm across her back. Vitani yelped in pain as Shepard dug her knee into her spine, forcing her to the ground.

"As a _human_, I have learned many things." As the Turian struggled, she jerked her arm up harshly causing her to growl in pain. Shepard continued, "While you were busy trying to inflict as much damage as you could, I was learning your gives and takes. You have a lower back problem. Possibly due to an old wound. Your left knee seems to cause you pain, which opened up your left side to attack. That is why you're in this position right now."

Vitani struggled some more and the woman only drew her arm further up her back causing another grunt of pain. "If this were a true fight, you'd be dead."

The Turian snarled, "You know _nothing, human."_

Shepard released her arm and backed away. She wiped the blood from her face. Vitani stood slowly, and then acted so quickly. Her fist landed viciously in Shepard's ribcage. She yelped in pain and then was silenced when the Turian's elbow came crashing into her temple.

Shepard faintly remembered hearing Garrus yell at Vitani. Nihlus' face appeared above hers, he was saying something, but she couldn't hear. She could barely see clearly. The world shook, it felt like she was just entering sunlight for the first time in years. Rage roared in her body at the Turian woman's cheap shot.

She struggled to her feet only to fall against the wall. Nihlus was at her side, attempting to help her. Shepard pushed him away. She didn't need his help.

The smaller woman turned on Vitani. She stumbled forward weakly, and grasped at the wall for support. Her vision was so blurry. "Y-you're-" Shepard collapsed to her knees. _Why was everything so foggy?_ Her breath was coming quicker and ragged as the pain seized in her body violently.

Garrus helped her to her feet. She pushed him away. Shepard didn't need his help either. Vitani laughed, "Aw is the _little_ human feeling defeated?"

"_Fuck_ you." Shepard rallied her strength and landed a fantastically powerful punch to Vitani's jaw. The Turian landed on her ass in shock, staring at her.

The room began to spin again. The voices of the Turian's were loud, but incomprehensible. Vitani snarled at them. _What was going on?_

Shepard felt her body giving away again. The last thing she saw was Nihlus staring at her, holding her in his arms with the biggest Turian grin any of them could ever give.

* * *

Shepard opened her eyes. The light was blinding, but welcome. The pain in her body, however, was not. She groaned at the dull ache.

_Medical bay, again. _

She looked around the room, it was vacant. She sighed and let her head drop back on the pillow. She _really_ needed to learn to stay out of trouble. Shepard heard the familiar whirring sound of the door.

Her eyes found the blazing green ones of Nihlus. She smiled and sat up slowly. He had a plate of food in his hand, "This is yours."

"Thanks."

Nihlus sat down in the chair beside her with his own food. "You're welcome."

Shepard stuffed the roll in her mouth hungrily, Nihlus chuckled. "I imagined you'd be pretty hungry. You've been out for a little more than a day."

The woman groaned. "God damn it."

"Problem?"

"Yeah that Turian chick is my problem. I just want to bash her face in." She replied angrily, stabbing at her food violently with her fork.

Nihlus laughed, "Well, you didn't know Vitani played dirty. And besides, that last punch you got in, _fucking fantastic_."

A bright grin crossed her tired face, "Yeah?"

"Oh, yeah. Even the trainees cheered. No one likes Vitani, except for maybe Garrus."

She felt the familiar pang of jealousy. "Why's that?"

The Turian looked confused, "Why no one likes her, or why Garrus is the only one?"

"I know why everyone doesn't like her." Shepard gestured to her bruised face. "It's kind of obvious."

Nihlus snorted. "They don't really like each other, they're just- uh, sexually attracted to each other."

If the expression of turning green with envy were true, Shepard would have been colored forest green in that instant. She repressed the frown from her face. "Oh. So fuck buddies?"

"Is that what humanity calls it?" Nihlus asked curiously.

Shepard gave some what of a chuckle, "Yeah, but not in polite company. It's a pretty vulgar term."

"Noted."

The woman smiled at her friend as they ate in silence. She spoke up, "What made you want to be a Spectre?"

"The ladies. They just can't get enough." He winked at her.

Shepard laughed again, but winced at the sharp pain in her rib cage, "Ah, ugh, don't make me laugh." The smile returned to her face as laughter threatened her again at the shit eating grin on the Turian's face.

Garrus watched through the window with a deep brooding, glower. He cringed at every smile Shepard had on her face to whatever it was Nihlus was saying. _He_ was the one that should be making her smile. _He_ should be the one in there with her.

He felt a growl rumbling from his chest in the form of an envious rage.

Shepard was _his._

* * *

**I love you all! Thank you for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**


	6. Loyalty

**The Captive**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 6: Loyalty

* * *

Garrus slid Shepard's food through the bars to her. She smiled a thanks and immediately dropped on her bed.

"So what can I tell you about today?"

He sat down in the chair, his food on his lap. Shepard grinned brightly at him, "Hmmm." She said thoughtfully, "How about yourself?"

Garrus looked at her in surprise, "Me?"

"Yeah! You've told me all about the Citadel and the council races, yet I still don't know much about my _captor._"

The way she emphasized 'captor' sent chills up his spine. His mandibles fluttered, "I, uh, am afraid I'm not very interesting."

"_Liar_." She replied with a teasing grin. "You mean to tell me, that the top hand to hand specialist, and one of the only Turian's who can compete with me, isn't interesting?"

Garrus chuckled, "Well, when you put it that way."

He paused as he searched his mind of what he could possibly tell her, Shepard watched him carefully and helped him along, "Any family?"

"Yeah, a dad and a sister back on Palaven."

She smiled softly, "Happy family?"

Garrus grimaced, "Eh, my dad and I don't get along so well, my sister and I are on pretty good terms though. Her name is Solana."

"Why don't you and your dad get along?"

He shrugged, "I, uh, he's never been very pleased with my decisions. I think I might follow his advice for once and go into Citadel security once this whole war is over though."

Shepard looked thoroughly surprised, "I can't see how anyone could be displeased with you."

Garrus laughed, "Oh?"

His eyes twinkled as they captured hers. She felt a blush heating up her neck. She opted to stuff a roll in her mouth and gave a little shrug. She really needed to learn to _think_ before she spoke.

The door whirred open and Nihlus appeared, "They've called code red, mission is a go."

Garrus jumped to his feet quickly. Shepard stared at the two Turian's, "What's going on?"

"Batarian Pirate ship we've been tracking for a while, we've got them." There was a dangerous glint in Garrus' eye that chilled her body and caused her stomach to flutter wildly. _Knock it off, Shepard._

"Is it... dangerous?" She asked slowly.

Her eyes betrayed her body and showed every bit of worry and concern that raced through her heart and mind. Garrus looked to Nihlus and nodded his head, "It's...not going to be easy."

"Nihlus, do you know the mission parameters?"

The darker Turian nodded his head as he fiddled with his omni-tool. "There's a base on the planet and the ship that we have to hit. The largest group will be led by Vitani into the center of the ship to take out comms and their weapons. You and I will lead a couple other ground teams and assault the base."

Shepard's eyes jumped from Nihlus to Garrus, "This sounds like a huge mission. In the middle of a war?"

"The Galaxy doesn't stop moving just because we're in conflict. Batarian Pirate's are dangerous, and this particular group are well known terrorists."

"We need to get going, Garrus."

He nodded his head to Nihlus, "I'll be right up."

As the door closed behind him, Garrus turned to face Shepard. "The ship is going to be pretty empty for the next day or so. Victus will more than likely see to it that you're taken care of."

The woman nodded her head, as he turned to leave he felt her small hand grasp his talon. His eyes connected with hers. "You and Nihlus take care of each other. I'll piss on your graves if Vitani ends up in charge of me." Her words were mock aggressive.

Garrus laughed, "And here I thought you were starting to care."

Shepard smiled wryly, "I do."

The shock was evident on the Turian's face as he processed the information, an alarm started ringing out across the ship and urgency replaced it. He nodded his head to her before darting from the room.

Shepard pressed her forehead against the bars. His words and voice still ringing in her body. The warmth of his talons tingled in her skin. _Fuck, how did she get so far gone?_

* * *

The ship gave a violent jerk, Shepard caught herself before she face planted on the floor. _What the hell?_

A screeching alarm began screaming in her quarters and across the ship. She jumped in momentary fright, her hands covering her ears. An explosion muffled the alarm and the ship gave another shudder, tossing her to the floor again.

It sounded as if a storm was breaking out _inside_ the goddamn ship. She heard the very familiar _patters_ of distant gunfire. _Someone was trying to take the ship_. Shepard looked out the bars of her cell.

There was yelling and then a single gunshot. Blue blood spattered the window of the door that whirred open. A Turian body rolled to the floor, his head blasted clean open. Shepard swallowed as fear began to creep in the darkest corners of her mind.

Shadows began to descend the staircase. Dark colored humanoid aliens appeared at the opening. Their voices had an echo, similar to Turian's. They had four, peering, beady eyes and were well armored, and armed for that matter. _Batarian's._

They strode down the cell block. Shepard backed up against the wall. Her heart thumped in her body wildly. She stared them down as they approached her. One of them laughed, "I wouldn't have believed it. Commander Shepard. You are _very_ valuable." His voice snaked around her chillingly.

The other twirled the keys in his hand. _Fuck._ She had almost hoped they wouldn't be able to find their way in. T_oo much to hope for._

"How much do you think we could get for her?"

"We could live like kings for the price she'd bring." muttered the other.

Shepard swallowed, fear was roaring through her body and mind. She was unarmed. They were going to take her and sell her to some slave trade. Humans weren't liked. She would live for a few months before her body died of the abuse she would suffer.

_Fuck _them. _No one _was taking her.

She repressed her fear as the keys jingled in the lock and the familiar latch sounded it's opening. The cell door screeched, grinding loudly in her eardrums. Everything was so loud, so intense. The colors, the movements.

Adrenaline screamed it's course through her body rapidly with each pound of her heart. The two Batarian's approached her, she backed into the corner of her cell. Her mind whirling.

The first alien raised his arm to whip her with his pistol. Shepard ducked his strike, and wrenched his arm around so that her body pressed against his back. His partner fired several times, the gutturals and screams of the Batarian body guarding her were drowned out by the breaking of his shoulder. She took his weapon and fired several times. Head shot, after head shot, the body jerked and shuddered every which way until it collapsed before her.

The room stopped roaring, her hearing returned to normal. She heard the gunfire continuing as the few remaining Turian's held out against the Batarian's. This was her chance! She could escape now and return to the Alliance.

She felt a pang of guilt as the faces of Garrus, Nihlus, and Victus flashed in her mind. She collected the ammo clips scattered on the ground. Just as Shepard began to exit her cell, she stopped short. Her eyes landed on the book; the gift from Garrus.

She grabbed it and tucked it away. Shepard cracked open the lockers, Turian clothes, Turian armor. She saw a glint of black in the back of the last one. A smile crossed her face as she caught sight of the N7 insignia.

As she pulled it out piece by piece, she discovered it had been repaired. Surprise flitted across her mind. She shoved it away as she quickly dressed. The Batarian's wouldn't wait on her to kill them.

Shepard rolled her neck as she shook her arms and legs in the armor. Testing it. The familiarity of it was absolutely wonderful. She didn't feel naked anymore.

As she replaced her omni-tool she noticed something very off about it. She gave it a shake and a sword lashed out, and then whirred back inside neatly. _Holy shit. _

Someone had repaired her armor, _and_ replaced her omni-tool with one far more advanced. She whipped her arm to the side, testing the sword. It had such a satisfying cutting sound as it whipped through the air. Shepard grinned. She could definitely get used to this _new toy._

She crept up the staircase, the pistol she had stolen from the Batarian held out in front of her. She ducked into the corners, checking the hallways for threats. She could hear the distant roar of gunfire and battle. It was towards the mess hall.

Her mind warred as her eyes caught sight of the escape pods. She could easily leave the ship, return to life in the Alliance. An annoying pang of loyalty crept through her body, willing her to head to the mess hall.

She growled in irritation. Shepard didn't owe the Turian's anything. But, she still felt it as her duty to ensure the safety of General Victus- her friend's ship.

Anger replaced her irritation as her sense of honor won out. She hissed to herself mockingly as she ducked into another corner, "Just had to be the good guy."

"Could have escaped, but _noooo_, had to save the _fucking_ dinosaurs." Shepard gritted her teeth.

Her steely eyes caught sight of the battle. It was violent. She had a straight shot down the long hallway, where Batarian's continued to enter the room. They were slaughtering the Turian's. Shepard ducked behind cover and took a deep breath.

She leapt over the large cargo box and charged down the hallway. She whipped her sword out and sliced into a Batarian's armor. He gurgled in surprise, his friends were too busy with the Turians to notice his death.

Shepard holstered her pistol and continued ripping through the Batarian ranks silently. She whipped to the side, wrenching through the neck of one and delving into the chest of the other.

"Behind us!" The voice echoed loudly in the hall. Her shoulder jerked to the side as her shield flashed in warning from the gunfire.

Shepard shoved her sword deep into the back of another Batarian and shoved him forward. Her pistol was out in a flash as she ducked and rolled.

One. Two. Three times she pulled the trigger. Three body's fell to the ground, bullet holes sizzling through their skulls. She neared the entrance to the mess hall. She grabbed a Batarian and bashed his face against the bulkhead. He screamed in pain as she fired off a shot through his jaw.

She caught the arm of an attacking Batarian, she shoved her omni-sword straight through his chest. Shepard saw as the life left his eyes, he sputtered and collapsed to the floor in surprise. The woman whipped around and charged to the makeshift barricades.

She slid into cover. A Turian jumped in surprise, she grabbed his cowl and pulled him back away from the barrage of bullets. He yelled over the fighting, "Commander Shepard? Figured you'd have left the ship by now."

She shrugged as she fired off a few rounds, "Thought you guys could use the help."

He laughed wryly, "No kidding. All that was left on the ship from the mission were green recruits. General Victus is stuck on the bridge with a few others. He's guarding the ship controls. They can't take this ship, Shepard."

She looked into his weary eyes, and nodded her head. "Understood. I need to be at the bridge then. Can you guys hold out here?"

"Yeah, we've got a few good kills left in us."

She placed a hand on his shoulder, "Stay alive. I'll be back with reinforcements."

Shepard jumped to the next cover. An explosion sent her against the wall with a heavy thud. She stood slowly, stumbling as the room shook and her hearing screeched.

Her face felt wet, she rubbed it and her hand pulled away drenched in blue. Shepard grimaced and pushed on towards the bridge entrance through the west side of the mess hall.

She moved quickly. The fight down towards it was relatively weak. A few Turians were in groups, holding out against the assault. Shepard cleared the way for them and sent them back to the mess hall. They couldn't afford to lose the resistance in the mess hall- it would be an all out purge on the bridge if they did.

Shepard ducked onto the bridge. She found herself immediately surrounded by Batarian's at the mouth of the entrance. _Fuck._ She acted quickly, firing her gun precisely to conserve ammo. She whipped her sword out and cut down those that got too close.

Shepard dove behind cover as the blast of a shotgun narrowly missed her. Her breath was heavy as the shots got closer. She squeezed herself together to avoid any spray shrapnel. She heard the demonic and sick, twisted laughter of the Batarian as he approached. Firing, his gun again and again. Her hearing was sharp as she judged the distance of his laughter and shadow, deciding it was now or die. Shepard grabbed his collar and yanked him over the barricade. Her sword plummeted into his chest, silencing his laughter permanently.

She grabbed the shotgun and charged the remaining Batarian's. The gun recoiled into her chest roughly, but dealt massive amounts of damage. A Batarian turned on her finally, a mad glint in his eye. Her gun clicked empty.

He lifted his gun, Shepard trying her best to get to him before he fired. The bullet rang out and screamed in her eardrums. She inhaled sharply, looking down at her body. _No wounds._

She looked up again as the Batarian crumpled to the floor. General Victus stood behind him. His mandibles twitched in some what of a smile as he leaned the massive rifle against his shoulder. "It's good to see you, Commander. I can say I am pleasantly surprised."

Shepard grinned in appreciation, "I couldn't leave you guys hanging high and dry. Someone had to pull your asses out of the fire."

His talons clasped her hand in a shake. He chuckled wearily, "We are in quite the fire here, aren't we?"

She nodded her head. "I don't understand, what happened to the teams you sent out?"

"We lost contact only minutes before the Batarian's attacked us." He looked out the large window into space. "Sneaky bastards. Operative Vitani warned me that the fight on the ship they attacked was weak, and that the teams on foot found an empty base."

It still didn't answer how they could have possibly been attacked. Shepard shook her head, "What happened?"

"Vitani took care of the ship, but the Batarian's returned to the base with an enormous force. She was forced to go ground side with her team to assist the other squads."

Shepard gave a sharp, disbelieving laugh, "The Batarian's had a diversion ship while they prepared to attack here."

Victus nodded his head. "It would appear so. I just don't understand how the bastards got so clever. They have to be working with someone else."

Shepard nodded her head. She looked around at the carnage that surrounded them. Several Turian's lay dead around the General.

"How long have you been fighting on your own?"

Victus gave her a weary look. "Too long. We couldn't lose the bridge."

Shepard felt a surge of awe. Victus was obviously well worthy to be a General. "We need to drive them out, most importantly. Perhaps I can take a small squad to their ship and clean them out?"

Victus gave her a rough smile. "I'm afraid I don't have any operatives that would be suitable for a mission of such caliber."

"General, all I need is their will to fight, and I can take a small squad and wipe that ship clean." Her eyes were bright with determination. The General held her gaze steadily in thought. Several Turian's entered the bridge from the mess hall. The one she had spoken with earlier was leading them.

"General, we've driven the Batarian's back. If it hadn't been for those reinforcements you sent Commander, we would have lost the hall."

Victus nodded his head. "Outstanding. It appears I owe you one, Commander. Pick your team and leave as soon as possible. Reinforcements will be on their way, you need to stop them."

Shepard nodded her head and walked towards the group of battle weary trainees. They eyed her suspiciously.

"I know I am technically your enemy, being a human. Right now though, we can't afford _petty_ feelings like that. These terrorists have killed your friends and brothers in arms." She paused, letting it sink in.

"I know every one of you are exhausted and most definitely don't want a human leading them into a dangerous mission. But if we don't do this, we'll lose the ship. _Your_ ship. I need every ounce of fight each and every one of you can muster. I don't care that you're 'green' or only 'trainees'. You're Turians, and you guys are some tough sons a bitches."

There were a few chuckles as they stood taller with pride. Shepard gave them a battle-ready grin, "Come on. Let's go show those Batarian's the very grave mistake they made by boarding _your _ship, lets go drive them back into whatever hole they crawled out of."

The Turian's nodded their heads, slapping their talons together. Growls and grunts of war echoed in the room. Shepard pointed to the Turian she had met earlier, "What's your name?"

"Treyynus." He said proudly, slapping his chest plate.

"I'm going to call you Trey. You're coming with me."

"It'll be an honor, ma'am."

Shepard paced before them, her eyes scanning each of the trainees. She selected one near the front. He was large, and head intricate tattoo's over his face. He had blazing yellow eyes, and his chest was puffed in pride. _Perfect._

"You. Your name?"

He replied gruffly, "Jantor."

"You're with me, big guy. Trey, I want you to pick out a squad to hold the mess hall while we're gone, and another squad to direct the defense of the bridge."

He nodded his head sharply, "Right away, Commander."

Shepard returned to Victus, "We'll be heading out pretty quickly. Anything else you need, General?"

"Your assistance is greatly appreciated and noted. Fight well." He shook her hand one last time.

Shepard nodded her head, "Hold out for us General, we'll be back soon."

She jumped down from the perch. Trey and Jantor appeared beside her with freshly reloaded weapons. Jantor handed her a Mattock assault rifle. "This will suit you better than that Batarian piece of shit weapon."

Shepard nodded her head in thanks.

Trey and Jantor stood ready, the woman before them rolled her neck and shrugged her shoulders. "Alright boys, lets go spill some terrorist blood."

* * *

**Hey guys! Y'all are awesome, and I would like you to know I love you. Thank you SO much for the kind words! I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, next one should be up soon.**


	7. Evacuation

**The Captive**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 7: Evacuation

* * *

Garrus shouted into his radio, "We have more reinforcements coming from your 12 o'clock."

Nihlus swore under his breath. "Where the _fuck_ are they coming from?"

"It was an ambush, clearly." Vitani replied sarcastically.

The darker colored Turian growled. "No kidding."

Garrus fired his rifle several times. "We need a new plan of action. The Batarian's are far more organized than we anticipated. Are comms still down?"

Vitani replied in the affirmative.

"Shit." He paused momentarily as he blasted the head of the shoulders of another incoming target. "Alright, Nihlus, take your squad to the back of the base. Make sure it's discreet. I'll make sure my squad handles the snipers and scouts."

Nihlus grunted, "Understood. We are on the move."

Garrus shouted to Vitani, "Get your squad to replace the front ranks. The movement has to be invisible."

"Nihlus, once you reach the end of the base, you need-"

"-circle around- yeah, I know Garrus. This might as well be our signature move, we've pulled it so many times."

Garrus chuckled, "Just like old times."

* * *

Shepard jumped from the railings. Her boots slammed against the walkway. Jantor and Trey followed closely behind her.

"Let's keep this tight and quiet."

Her Mattock swept the area. She began to move forward, her steps nearly silent against the metal grating. The ship was eerily silent. Shepard nearly jumped in shock at the blown apart Turian near the opening to the small mess hall.

Jantor muttered, "Shit. Looks like the recon team had a rough time."

Shepard frowned, "That's not right- Vitani reported little resistance."

Trey hummed. "Then who the hell is that?"

Jantor grunted. "I don't like this one bit. This place makes my skin crawl."

"Agreed. We need to blast this ship out of the sky." Shepard replied as they crept through the hall.

"Trey- see if you can locate any shuttles or escape pods. Jantor, search the bodies, see if you can find anything on their identities."

Shepard rested her rifle against her shoulder as she approached a fogged window. Her hand swept the glass gently. It was some sort of particle dust. She looked up and nearly screamed at the face peering at her.

Shepard stumbled backwards, tripping over the table. He was human. His eyes were wild and bloodshot. His fingers bled as they scratched the window over and over. Trey and Jantor stared in horror, "What the _hell_ is that?"

The man screeched, "GET OUT!"

His fingers clawed his gray, ragged and torn face. He ripped at his hair, pulling chunks of his scalp along with it. He threw it at the window and began to pound angrily and wildly.

"The dust! It's the dust's fault!" He started slapping himself, "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"The voices! They never leave! Whisper, whisper, whisper! At my ear-" He screamed and flung himself at the window, "GET OUT!"

He reared his head back and began to bash his skull repeatedly. Jantor grabbed Shepard's arm and hauled her to her feet. "Commander, I don't like this place."

Shepard whispered, "He's alliance."

Clear as day, his Navy dog tags thumped against his chest. "I killed them! I killed them all! They wouldn't shut up. The whispers! The voices! The dust! The eyes! THEY WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!"

They whipped around as the bulkhead gave way. Several people, screaming, moaning, of all species tumbled to the floor. Asari with their fringe ripped apart, their skin stained with the blood of many species. Drell, Humans, Turian's, Salarian's.

They moaned and screamed and screeched. Their voices filled the room. "We need to get the FUCK OUT OF HERE!" Shepard shoved Trey and Jantor through the door way towards the bridge of the ship. The bodies of soulless eyes and limp people chased them. Screaming. Screeching.

Shepard rarely felt fear. This was one of those few occasions where fear was expected. And she felt it full force. Her body was chilled to the bone as the voices hit her hearing, the moaning, mewling, the steady thump of their wild bodies.

As they sprinted down the hallway, a bulkhead next to them gave out and more of the psychotic people poured from it's opening. Trey tripped as they grabbed his legs, Shepard leapt back and grabbed his arm.

He screamed as they tore into his skin. Biting. Eating. Jantor started firing, Shepard pulled and pulled. She whipped her sword out and began to fight the onslaught of bodies being thrown at her. They didn't stop. They screamed. They screeched. They kept coming.

Trey was pulled free by Jantor. A blue trail was left as he limped as fast as he possibly could. Shepard followed them backwards, filling the bastards with as much lead as possible. _What was this hell?_

"Trey! Take care of the controls, get this ship to a safe distance to blow it."

"On it!" He limped to the console and began working away wildly.

Shepard shouted over the gun fire as they knocked over a few crates for cover. "Jantor- you said you could set the controls to a self destruct sequence?"

"Yes ma'am. Once Trey gets it a proper distance away, I can blow the ship."

"Outstanding. Trey- how long?"

"We need to hold out for about five minutes! The escape pods are down the hall to the left, if we can get to them, I can use my omni-tool and send us to the planet where our strike teams are."

Jantor shouted, "Commander, Notice anything interesting about our targets?"

Shepard searched their bodies as she fired over and over. Their bodies crumpled, but she noticed a striking and terrifying consistency.

"Ligatures on their wrists and feet. They were tortured." Her mind flashed to the Turian she had found on the vegetative planet. Saren's brother, the Spectre.

"Yes, Commander. Someone, somewhere is trying to create a special hell for the Galaxy."

The people were piling in at alarming rates. Shepard stood up, her sword whipped out as they began to close in. Jantor bumped her in the back. They stood solid against each other, fighting against the waves desperately.

"COVER TREY!"

"YES MA'AM!" Came the shouted response from Jantor.

Sweat rolled down her face as she whipped her sword back and forth, delving and slicing, firing her Mattock. They just kept coming. Their eyes were black, soulless, terrifying. It all felt like a horrible nightmare, yet she knew it wasn't.

There was a horrible connection between these people and the Spectre she had found on that planet. _God, it seemed so long ago._ What if that Spectre was among the first to be tortured into these monsters? What if him being spaced wasn't an accident, but an act of mercy on himself?

Her blood ran cold at the implications. The horrors that were inflicted on these people, of all species. This wasn't just a Turian problem any more. Someone was waging full-scale war on the Galaxy. Everyone was included. If these monsters were released in hordes on civilized planets? They could devour an entire city within days.

They were relentless. Shepard felt fear. Mind numbing, body chilling, fear.

Her boot connected with the chest of another alliance soldier, her gun fired into his chest several times. She whipped her sword around to a charging Asari. It penetrated her thoroughly. She gurgled in response and collapsed to the floor.

Jantor flung the last attacker to the floor and fired several times into it's skull. They faced each other. Chests heaving, bodies shaking. What has happened here, could never be unseen.

"Jantor, work your magic. We're far enough away now." Called Trey,

The Turian wasted no time jumping on the console. His talons working quickly across the screen. Trey leaned against a cargo box. Blood soaked his leg. Shepard knelt down examining it. It was a gory mess. They really ripped into him.

Shepard pulled out the only medigel packet they had come across, she handed it to him. "When we get to that escape pod, take care of yourself."

Trey nodded his head. He sighed with exhaustion. "Thank you, Commander."

Jantor turned, "We have two minutes, more than enough time. Let's get to the-"

There was an awful and terrible roar that ruptured the silence of the ship. Shepard stood slowly as a large creature stomped down the hall they had fought through. She started slowly, "Jantor, get Trey to the shuttle. I'll take care of this monster."

She reloaded her Mattock. Trey spoke urgently, "Commander!"

"Get to the pod _now! _I'll be right behind you guys."

Jantor threw Trey over his shoulder, "Don't let him get close, Krogan are lethal!"

"Noted." Shepard stood between them and the Krogan. Her breath came steady and calm. It roared again, grabbing it's head and throwing it's body against the wall violently.

"-Voices-whispers..SO MUCH NOISE!" He pounded his chest and screamed, "STOP IT!"

Her blood ran cold as he suddenly was charging her. Never, in all her life had she seen such a force. Shepard jumped to the side as he crashed into the bulkhead tremendously. She fired off a few rounds, it seemed as if they just bounced off his hide.

He screamed again and charged, Shepard ran to the side, narrowly dodging his pathway. She fired from the ground as she scooted back, stumbling to her feet amongst all the bodies. A clear artificial voice echoed across the ship. "sixty seconds until detonation, recommended immediate evacuation."

Shepard started to make her way down the hall. A sinking feeling in her gut as the Krogan charged that direction.

She yelled across her radio, "Jantor, Trey, leave now. I'm not going to be able to shake this guy."

"Commander-" They begun to argue.

"No. Go now. That's an order."

Shepard grunted as she leapt out of the way of the monster's path. She fired a few rounds into it's back before she needed to roll out of the way again.

"I-Commander. It's been an honor."

"Honor's all mine. Now, _go_!"

"Thirty seconds remaining. Destruction imminent. Recommended immediate evacuation."

Shepard sighed in relief when she felt the ship shudder as the escape pod launched. At least they would make it to safety. She muttered sarcastically to herself, "Just had to be the good guy."

"Ten seconds remaining."

The ship's explosion rocked the escape pod. Trey stared out the window as the blast spread. Pieces of the ship rocketed all around them. Jantor muttered, "I was just starting to like her."

Trey held an agreeing look. He tightened his seatbelt as they entered the planets atmosphere. The escape pod began to rock and jerk as it accelerated. He heard the swoosh of it's parachute and the slight tip of it's descent.

* * *

Garrus stared down his scope. "Scratch one!" Suddenly, he spotted something far off in the distance. He brought his scope back up.

"Hey, I've got something way out there. It looks-" His eyes widened. "Vitani, did you rig that ship to explode?"

"Course not, why?"

"Because I see one- No, two escape pods coming down, and that ship is blasted to hell."

"There wasn't anyone on that ship!"

"Well, apparently there were." He paused. "Nihlus! Get on that now. I want to know who the hell those people are."

"Understood. Moving out."

* * *

**Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing! All your thoughts and tips are very much appreciated! I hope y'all enjoy! Thanks again!**


	8. Awkward

**The Captive**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 8: Awkward

* * *

_Shepard charged the escape pods. The adrenaline roared through her veins as she heard the stomping and screaming of the mad Krogan behind her. _

_The VI's voice struck through the air like a calm tree in a hurricane. "Nine. Eight. Seven..."_

"_Shit. Shit. Shit."_

_Shepard queued her omni-tool as she leapt out of the of the way of the charging Krogan. The Escape pod hatch opened and she dove inside. It began to shut as the Krogan ran at her one last time. His body made it through the opening and the hatch sealed over his leg, severing it from his body. _

"_Three. Two..."_

_The pod launched when the ship gave a terrible tremble, fire engulfing the insides and roaring out. The blast was deafening and Shepard was thrown against the wall. The Krogan was pouring blood from his wound, but he stormed towards her anyway on his useless nub. _

_She stared horrified as the blood pooled on the floor. The black glint in his eyes terrified her as he gave a roar and leapt forward. _

_She felt his body crushing hers as his teeth gnashed above her. The pod began to jerk and shake as they entered the planet's atmosphere. He snarled and grabbed at her throat. She held him off barely._

_Sure, Shepard felt fear, but this was an all new terror. The Krogan's blood soaked her body from his amputation, he snarled and roared. His claws ripped at her armor, damaging the shields. She caught his arm just before he made contact with her face. _

_Her muscles screamed as she continued to push back, trying with all her might to combat the Krogan strength. The escape pod crashed into the planet roughly. The Krogan was flung forward as Shepard slammed against the wall and was tossed around as the pod rolled to it's stop. _

_The world spun as she attempted to stand. The Krogan made a groaning sound. Fear bit into her, she slammed her fist against the console, the hatch whirred open just as the Krogan began to stagger towards her. _

_Her breath was heavy and laden as she fell out of the pod. She crawled forward weakly. Shepard pulled the Mattock from her back and began to fire. One. Two. Three. The Krogan began to slow as he reached the opening. _

_She pulled the trigger one last time, the bullet struck the creatures eye and he promptly collapsed with a final groan. Shepard dropped the weapon, gasping in victory. _

_The exhausted woman pushed herself to her feet. Her eyes scanned the land around her for the other escape pod. She staggered forwards, Shepard didn't have any time. Trey had been wounded pretty seriously. She needed to find them now._

* * *

Nihlus approached the pod cautiously. The hatch slid open to reveal Jantor with Trey. He lowered his weapon, shock crossing his face.

"What the hell are you two doing here?"

Trey bit back a yelp, as he limped towards the Spectre. Jantor filled in the blanks, "The Batarian's overran the ship. General Victus sent us to clear out their reinforcements."

Nihlus gave a bark of disbelief. "You two, took out an entire ship of Batarian's and then blew it for good measure?"

Trey gave a sad look. "No. Not just us. Shepard halted the invasion when she escaped from her cell. She was the reason we didn't lose the ship. Victus sent her with us. And there wasn't any Batarian's on the ship. It was _hell."_

"You're going to have to brief Garrus and I later. I suppose Shepard is in the second pod?"

Trey stared at him. Jantor laughed gruffly, "I don't believe it. She got out!"

Nihlus gave him a curious look, "What do you mean _she got out?_"

"A Krogan attacked us, she made us leave while she held him off. We thought the ship blew with her on it."

The dark Turian felt a pang of fear in his chest. "She fought a Krogan? By herself?"

Jantor nodded his head weakly. Nihlus called one of his squad forward, "You take Treynnus back to the base. Make sure he gets the help he needs. Jantor you're with me."

"Yes, sir!"

He pointed the direction of the second pod, and called out on his radio, "Garrus, you're not going to believe who was in those pods."

"Surprise me."

"Jantor and Treynnus were in pod one. Shepard is in pod two. We're on our way to her position now."

"_What?_ Why?" The worry was thick in his voice.

"I'll leave that to Treynnus to explain to you. I'm on my way out."

"Understood." Came Garrus' terse reply.

They moved in silence. A Turian towards the back muttered, "Didn't expect Shepard to help, much less that she'd take the entire ship out of Batarian hands."

Nihlus nodded his head, "I think there's more to Shepard than we expected."

The pod came into view. A large mass was at the entrance. Nihlus sucked in a worried breath. Jantor ran forward. He approached the body of the Krogan. "_No!_"

Nihlus looked down at him. "This was the Krogan?"

Jantor nodded his head.

"Looks like she did a number on him." The dark Turian spoke.

The Turian from earlier pointed out the blood trail. "Look!"

They followed the trail to a lump in the sand ahead of them. Nihlus broke into a sprint. Her hair blew softly around her face in the gentle breeze. Her breath was rapid and heavy. He laid a hand on her shoulder.

She screamed and jumped back. She flung her omni-sword out, ready to fight. Nihlus held his palms up, "Whoa! Shepard!"

Her eyes registered recognition. "Oh. God." She flung herself against him and pulled him into a tight hug. Her eyes were pinched in pain. "The Krogan-it-it was so-"

Nihlus looked at the other Turian's, he wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her back gently. "You killed him."

She pulled back and rubbed her face wearily. "I know. The crashing of the pod was the only reason I survived. He was on me, about to rip my head off."

Nihlus helped her to her feet. She saw Jantor and smiled weakly, "Are you and Trey okay?"

"Trey will be fine, Commander." The Turian bowed his head in the affirmative.

"Are you injured?"

Shepard shook her head and gestured to her body wearily "This is all the Krogan's."

Nihlus laughed and patted her on the shoulder. "Outstanding."

She gave a weak smile. Nihlus called up his radio, "Garrus, Shepard is secure. No injuries. We're en-route."

The Turian grinned at the sigh of relief from across the radio. "That's...good."

* * *

Trey shook his head, "I can't believe you made it out, Commander."

Shepard shrugged, "I'm still trying to figure out how I pulled it off."

The Turian grinned, "So, you fought a Krogan in that tiny cabin space?"

She grimaced, "If I never see a Krogan again, it'll be too soon."

Trey laughed when Garrus appeared at he doorway. "That's how most people feel about Krogan, and they haven't ever actually fought them in close quarters."

Shepard smiled, "Garrus." She approached him, repressing every urge to touch him, hug him. His blue eyes burned holes into her heart, his talon touched her hair gently. Electrocuting shocks went through her body as he mindlessly fingered it.

"I'm glad you're okay. A little surprised you stuck around to fight our battle." His mandibles quirked into a smile.

Shepard gave him a wry grin, "Yeah, well, I've grown too close to my captors, I guess you could say. I couldn't leave your ship, and be able to sleep at night."

He released her hair, "Well, I'm glad you decided to help, for what it's worth."

Vitani leaned against the doorway. "I had heard she decided to help. Unnecessary in my opinion. The Turian's can handle themselves."

Trey cleared his throat, "Operative, we would have lost the ship without Shepard's help."

She grunted. "I'm sure we would have been fine."

Trey glared at her, "Shepard just saved our ship, and made sure that Jantor and I survived, and you can't even be grateful?"

Vitani hissed, "Mind your place, _trainee."_

Trey shouted, "In my _place_, I almost got my leg gnawed off on a ship of psychotic people that _you_ cleared."

Garrus stopped Vitani, "He's right.-"

"There was no one on that ship when I went through!"

Shepard leaned against the railing. "That's because they were trying to lure you ground side so the Batarian's could attack the ship. Whatever that place was, it was a trap. Garrus, can I speak with you alone?"

His eyes held surprise as she looked at him steadily. He nodded his head slowly, "Yeah. Vitani return to lookout."

The door slid open, and then closed behind Garrus. She paced the room wearily and ran an exhausted hand through her hair.

"You remember the Turian I told you about? The one that was murdered?"

He nodded his head.

"Yes, well the injuries on every single person inside the ship consisted with the Turian's restraint ligatures."

"So, you're saying that this ship and the Spectre's murder are connected?"

"Yes. I think the Batarian attack was led by a higher power to get rid of us. I think someone thinks we know too much, this would also explain the Batarian's organized assaults. Whatever was on that ship, we weren't supposed to see, let alone survive."

Garrus placed a talon against his mandible in thought as he paced the room, "But whoever it was hadn't counted on us using a prisoner to help us."

Shepard nodded her head, "Exactly. We're in a deep mess here, Garrus. We need to proceed carefully. This is larger than just Turian's. We saw people of every species. Humans, Turians, Asari, Drell, Krogan, Salarians..."

She gave a disgusted chuckle, "Not exactly how I pictured seeing those races for the first time."

Garrus placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. Shepard turned to him, her eyes searching his. "It sounds like things got pretty messy up there. I, uh, I'm glad you're alright."

Her visage appeared to crumple as she pressed her body against his. Garrus froze as his heart roared at the contact. He felt her warmth through his armor. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight. Reveling in the feeling of her body.

His stomach flip flopped, he pressed his mandibles to the top of her head. Shepard's mind whirled and she slowly backed away, her body screaming at the lack of warmth. Desperately, pleading to be back up against him.

His eyes watched her carefully. Shepard spoke softly, "Garrus..." Her hand brushed the side of his face. He pressed his head into her touch, his talons reaching up to touch her hand gently.

The door whirred open and they jumped away from each other, looking away in embarrassment.

Vitani narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Am I interrupting something?" Her voice was acidic as she directed her gaze at Shepard.

Shepard sent a glance at Garrus, he still looked away, "No. We were just about to leave."

Vitani's voice turned sickeningly sweet, she laid a hand on his shoulder. "Well, since the Batarian's have retreated, how would you like to, uh, relieve some of the extra tension?"

Garrus' mandibles fluttered, his eyes found Shepard's. She suddenly felt incredibly out of place, "I, uh, I got, uh.." Her voice trailed off as she exited the room quickly. She felt as if she had been punched in the gut. _God._

Shepard needed to find Nihlus.

* * *

**Y'all are too kind :) Thank you SO much for the encouragement and advice, I'm very glad y'all are enjoying the story, and I hope y'all enjoy the new chapter!**


	9. Mates

**The Captive**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 9: Mates

* * *

Nihlus took a seat beside Shepard. She gave him a small smile of greeting, he went to speak when Victus began.

"The Batarian Pirate's have been decimated with the destruction of their ship. There are more out there, but none as large as this group. The disturbing experiments that were found on board of the ship involve several species, not just ours. I have a few friends in c-sec and in Palaven law enforcement, I may be able to pull a few strings and see if we can't find any leads."

Victus paused. "The information that I have given you is confidential. It doesn't leave this room. We can't risk our enemies getting a heads up. When we do locate the operating facility, the four of you will be our assault. Get in, destroy, get out."

Vitani snorted. "Easy enough. I don't see why we need to bring Shepard."

Shepard shook her head, "You don't have any idea what Trey, Jantor, and I found on that ship. You'll need me."

"A bunch of unarmed people attacked you. I think I have any idea." The Turian replied snidely.

Garrus growled, "Enough, Vitani. She's coming with us. An extra gun won't hurt."

Vitani crossed her arms, glaring. "Fine."

Shepard took a deep breath to calm herself. It took more out of her to fight against punching Vitani, than it did to fight a psychotic Krogan. _Stupid bitch._

Victus cleared his throat. "In light of your actions Commander, I am releasing you from confinement. You are no longer a prisoner on this ship, but a guest. Thank you again for saving my life, and the ship and ensuring the safety of Treynnus and Jantor. We are in your debt."

A bright smile crossed Shepard's face, "Thank you, General."

Vitani cried out, "But General! You can't trust her on this ship, for all we know, she's the reason-"

Victus reprimanded her, "Shepard risked her life to save the ship and our lives. You need to work out this aggression you have towards the Commander. It can't distract us from the mission."

"I- Yes, sir."

He gave a nod of his head. "Dismissed."

Shepard turned to Nihlus, he was smiling. "Well, look at you. From prisoner to guest, that means you can go anywhere now." He paused as a sly grin crossed his face, "Including my quarters." She laughed as he gave her a wink.

"You wish."

Garrus glowered as he followed them from behind. His gut turning and twisting angrily. As Shepard left to return to her cell, he turned on Nihlus, "What the _hell_ was that?"

His friend's face contorted into confusion, "What?"

"You and her?"

Realization dawned in Nihlus' eyes. He laughed suddenly making Garrus feel ridiculous but even angrier all the same. "Just some playful flirting, Garrus. What's the problem?"

The Turian spluttered, "I- well, she's-"

Nihlus cut him off, his mood darkening. "If you want her, you better go after her, because I'm not going to wait forever."

Garrus stared at him, stunned. "She's human."

"You need to stop caring what other's think. Better yet, you need to stop trying to please your father, he'll never be happy."

Garrus wanted to punch him. Not because he was goading him, or making him angry, but because he was right. For too long he wallowed in his father's disapproving glare, trying to please him. Nihlus walked away, calling back,

"Don't wait too long. You and I are not the only one's with eyes for the Commander."

* * *

Shepard walked up the staircase. She turned down the hall and ran straight into Garrus. She felt his hands on her shoulders steadying her, "I was just looking for you."

Surprise flitted across her face, "Oh, what do you need?"

He fidgeted nervously. "Well, uh, we're docked at the Citadel for repairs for the time being. I got approval from, uh, Victus." Her eyebrows raised at his distress. His eyes met hers and he spoke quickly before he lost his nerve. "Doyouwannavistthecitadelwith me?"

She looked confused, "Uh, what?"

The Turian sighed, he looked down and spoke slower and softer. "Do you, uh, want to visit the Citadel with me?"

Her eyes and face brightened, "I would love to!"

Garrus released a breath of relief. His mandibles quirked in a smile. "Let's go then. The Citadel is huge-"

Her excitement exuded as she trembled, "Garrus! This is so exciting!"

He laughed as she tugged at his arm, "Try not to scare the other species, most of them have never seen a human before."

As they entered, Garrus had been right. Just in the docking bay there were Hanar, Asari, and Salarian's. They stared. Shepard felt as if she was being burned from all around by the looks.

He noticed her apprehensiveness. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just, uh, not used to all the attention."

The Turian grinned, "Scared?"

Shepard puffed her cheeks in a pout, "_No._"

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." He spoke mockingly. She slapped his arm. "As if I'd need your help." The smile betrayed her.

Wonder and awe spread across her face as they entered the presidium. "Wow. Garrus- wow."

He grinned at her bewilderment, "Amazing, isn't it?"

"Yes. It is." She pointed to a Krogan statue, "Is that for...?"

"-The Rachni Wars, yes."

She nodded her head as she walked along the walkway. Leaning over the railing to look into the crystal clear water. Shepard looked up to see a couple of Krogans. Her body froze as the memories washed over her. Garrus noticed, "Don't worry, Shepard. Krogan are crazy, but the ones on the Citadel are relatively docile."

She swallowed and nodded her head, a sheepish look crossing her face. "It was terrifying. I thought I was going to die."

Her eyes peered up at his. The Turian nodded his head slowly, "I, uh, I was worried, when I had heard- I didn't know of the Krogan, but leave it to you to find some way to survive."

Shepard's mouth turned up in a small smile. As they neared the two Krogans, one of them spoke,

"Vakarian?"

Garrus turned, his face flickering in recognition. "Wrex. Garm. What are you two up to?"

Wrex shrugged, "Just got out of a job. Escaped, more like it."

Shepard turned, "Escaped? You're a merc?"

Garm's eyes narrowed. "I didn't know Turians had pets now."

"I'm not a pet." Shepard growled.

The Krogan continued looking her up and down. "I wasn't talking to you, _Human_."

"_What are Krogan like?"_

_Garrus chuckled, "Well, uh, they're aggressive. To earn respect in their culture, one needs to show their dominance."_

"_How do they do that?"_

_He shrugged, "I one time saw a Turian head butt a Krogan, when I asked him about it later he said that was how they gained respect- was to show some sort of back bone. Never do it unless you can handle an angry Krogan though. I wouldn't recommend doing it at all actually, those Krogan can be some mean bastards."_

Shepard wasn't going to allow the first impression of a Human go unnoticed. They would respect her _goddamn it_. She wouldn't set the precedent that Humans were to be pushed around.

She reared her head back and slammed it into Garm's face. He stumbled backwards, grunting in surprise. Wrex laughed boisterously. Garrus' mandibles went slack in shock as Garm straightened up, rubbing his head. He looked wildly between them, almost disbelieving what he had just witnessed.

Shepard stood back, watching him closely. She resisted the urge to rub her forehead. Wrex was still laughing, "Looks like this Human has a quad!"

Garm got in her face. He snarled, "You're lucky you're on the Citadel, Human, or I'd gut you."

Shepard crossed her arms. "I've fought a Krogan before. He was a bit bigger than you, and slightly easier to look at. I'm not too worried."

Wrex laughed again and shoved Garm back. "What's your name, Human?"

"I'm Commander Shepard."

"_Commander Shepard_? Isn't she the one that's been ripping you Turians to pieces?" Wrex turned to Garrus.

The Turian rubbed the back of his neck. "Ripping to pieces isn't _really_ that accurate. She gave us quite the challenge _maybe_."

"Sure. Just like the genophage wasn't to sterilize us." He mocked Garrus. "What can I help you with, Shepard?"

"You said you escaped from a mission?"

"Yeah. Some guy was hiring tons of mercs and paying real well. Garm and his blood pack and I all signed up for it. Mercs started disappearing, so he and I got the hell out of there."

"What were you being paid to do?"

"Raid ships mostly, he wanted everyone alive, just restrained. I didn't get that far though. Guy gave me a bad feeling."

Shepard shared a look with Garrus. He spoke quickly, "This sounds like our guy. Do you know who he is?"

"No. I know he worked with some Batarian Pirates though."

Garrus sighed. "That doesn't help much. Good you got out of there, most of those mercs I imagine ended up being his test subjects."

Wrex grunted. "I know where he wanted us to leave the ships. I can transmit those coordinates to you."

Shepard's eyes widened, "That could be it."

Garm muttered, "You planning on hitting that place?"

Garrus growled, "_Real hard."_

Wrex shook his head. "I'd say good luck, but I don't really care. If Garm and I wouldn't mess with him, that should be clear enough."

The Turian shrugged. "We're bringing Commander Shepard."

Wrex laughed, "If you survive, I'd like to hear the story."

Shepard grinned, "Only if you're buying."

The Krogan shook his head, "Sure, I'll bet a round of drinks on your life."

Garrus sighed, "See you around, Wrex."

"Most likely not."

As they walked away, the Turian stared at Shepard. She feigned innocence. "What?"

"Don't _what_ me. When I told you that story, It wasn't advice."

Shepard chuckled wryly. "I didn't want the first impression of humanity to be weak."

He shook his head. "A heads up would be nice next time."

When he didn't hear a response, he turned to see her smelling a flower. The child-like smile on her face as she stroked the petals made his heart fall deeper into the mess he was already in.

He adored this Human. She was everything to ever be desired in a woman, a partner, and a mate.

* * *

**New chapter! :) Thank you SO much for all your reviews and support! I appreciate it a whole lot! Hope you enjoy the chapter :)**


	10. Crazy

**The Captive**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 10: Crazy

* * *

"_Why_ do you always do that?" Garrus asked in frustration. His talons wrapped around her slender wrists, he held off her onslaught, his face was quirked in amusement.

Shepard huffed. "You have more reach than I'm used to."

The hearty chuckle that flooded the room sent chills through her body and warmed her to her very depths all at once. It was the kind of sound that sent her hair up on end. He gave her a sort of feral grin,

"I have been told on occasion, that I do have quite the spectacular _reach._"

Her face blanked with confusion before the sudden understanding dawned on her. Shepard's face flushed, "You dirty turian." She paused, her brilliant steely gaze connecting with his absolutely mesmerizing and enticing blue ones. "...And I'm alright with that."

Garrus was a little stunned by the forwardness of her words. Sure, they had grown closer over the past week. They were preparing to hit the base Wrex had mentioned, and Garrus took it upon himself to _groom_ the Commander's hand to hand. It wasn't that she was bad- she had a certain knack for 'throwing down', as she liked to call it. But the recklessness and abandon she threw into her fights were terrifyingly powerful but a weakness at the same time.

A trained professional could easily ward off crazy, especially the Commander's particular brand of crazy. It was easy to convince her to train with him solo- a mention of Vitani and he had her hooked immediately.

It would be a complete and utter lie if he said he didn't have other motives. Shepard called to him, her gentle smile, sweet scent, and that honest to God genuine, full melodious laugh tugged at his heart and groin wildly.

Nihlus' words had struck home for him. Garrus desperately _needed_ the Commander's particular brand of crazy, and not just for a one time 'relief'. He intended it for the long haul. The turian just wasn't so sure about Shepard herself.

She could easily have any human she could ever possibly desire. He had seen the news vids of her, the way people responded to her, _especially_ the men. She was revered as a sort of warrior goddess. She wasn't turian, but Garrus couldn't help but agree- Shepard was a goddess for any species, and a true warrior.

She was absolutely _perfect_.

Shepard was smiling at him. A devious kind of smile that revealed mischief in her eyes. "What is that I do, that just drives you _so crazy_?"

Her suggestive tone didn't go unnoticed. "Charging into fights like you're some kind of tank." He poked her stomach with a talon, she gave a huff of disapproval. "You're soft and fleshy, not some armored krogan. As much as you might like to believe that."

Shepard sighed. "My fighting style works perfectly fine amongst humans. It wasn't until the discovery of this entire galaxy did I become anything less than a tank." She gave him an endearingly smug look.

Garrus tripped her up, and twisted her arm expertly. She fell to the floor in a heap. A glare crossing her face as she nursed her strained arm. "See, now I have the advantage. You need to block, and I know you can block, I've seen you do it before."

He paused as he crouched down beside her. "I don't understand why you're so intent on taking every hit, just to get to your target. The end does not always justify the means to that end."

She nodded her head, her facial features softened. "You're right. I'm just so used to being dominant amongst my species, I wasn't ever really prepared for..._anything different_."

Garrus pulled her to her feet. A look of determination was evident in her narrowed eyes as she concentrated. Each throw he threw, she blocked. The turian muttered, "Blocking is one thing, don't forget to-"

He was cut off short as she landed a strike to his gut. Surprise shocked his body, but he quickly recovered to catch another blow. He attempted to twist her into submission, but in a sudden display of agility- she was out of the predicament just as quickly as she was in it.

Garrus found himself falling to the ground, he grabbed her and she fell too. They landed in a heap on the floor. Shepard was the first to laugh at the turian's confused expression. He stared at her as his cock gave a painful twitch of desire. Her legs straddled his waist, her laughter ground her hips into his, eliciting a growl from the turian's mandibles.

Her eyes began to cloud with a look he had not quite identified. Shepard's breath was shallow, her heart thudded wildly. _That growl. That single feral growl._

It stirred a heat between her thighs that was incomparable to any feeling of _need_ she had ever felt. Shepard had been fully aware of her developing feelings for the turian for quite sometime. She gave up trying to control them after her contact with the psychotic krogan.

That incident was an eye-opener. In this brand new, wide open galaxy, death could linger at every corner. Especially for _soft, fleshy, _humans. She needed to take advantage of life, take what she wanted, and give more than she needed to,_ right?_

Shepard didn't need an answer. She had already made her decision.

She was drawn out of her thoughts by an 'ahem'. Her head snapped up to the glowering figure of Vitani. The human jumped to her feet, Garrus following behind her. The turian woman snarled,

"A _human_, Garrus?"

Shepard cleared her throat, "It's not what it looks-"

"Shut your mouth before you find yourself _conveniently_ too injured for the upcoming mission."

She felt a feeling of bold and unrestrained fury and hatred course through her body and boiling her blood to astronomical levels. _Threats were not tolerated._

"Being my enemy is a poor health decision. They tend to wind up dead."

"You _dare_ threaten me?" Vitani replied incredulously.

Garrus backed away from the warring females. The trainee's in the room stared with rapt attention. _Probably the most entertainment they would ever get on a ship full of mostly males._

"Just returning the favor." Was Shepard's cold and calculated response.

"You need to learn the boundaries of your species, human."

"You don't define the boundaries of my species."

Vitani snarled at her and struck out. Shepard's movement was so fluid. She was on Vitani before anyone could fully comprehend the situation. Vitani twisted to attack, and in a wild display flexibility, the Commander bent low and twisted her body out of reach.

Vitani's feet were wrenched out from beneath her as Shepard pulled the turian's body to the boundaries of it's own flexibility. Garrus was increasingly aware of the murmurs amongst the trainees. He felt the ugly green monster rearing it's head again. Nihlus' words ringing in his mind. _We aren't the only ones with eyes for the Commander._

He brooded as if Shepard had flashed something extremely personal to all the world, that should have only been meant for him to know.

Still, he felt a sense of pride as her knee dug into Vitani's back. Her arm was crossed and twisted and she lay defeated beneath Shepard. The turian struggled, but ultimately was done for.

The human hissed, loud enough for all the room to hear, "My people don't need boundaries to be defined for us. We are a species like you, and we are of this galaxy- you best learn that."

Shepard stood up releasing Vitani at her silence. She turned and flashed an excited smile at Garrus, the kind of smile that always warmed his heart. The turian woman stood behind and made a move of a pathetic and cowardly retaliation. Before Garrus could warn her, Shepard had already moved out of the way.

She kneed Vitani in the gut, and delivered a bone-breaking uppercut to her jaw, as the turian stumbled backwards, Shepard planted her boot in the woman's chest. The trainees stared in awe, and Garrus more in shock.

Vitani slammed against the wall and promptly crumpled to the floor. Shepard's body heaved with exertion. "You are a despicable coward."

The pain in the turian's face was evident of the damage the human had dealt out. The silence in the room was deafening. Nihlus was the one to break it.

"Fucking finally someone sat her down."

Garrus hadn't even noticed his arrival. The casual way he leaned against the doorway, and the charming grin on his face made his gut burn with jealousy. He envied Nihlus' steady and calm demeanor, he wished he could talk to Shepard with the same ease as his friend could.

His jealousy only grew when the woman of his affections returned the smile. Not to him. But to Nihlus.

* * *

The rage and annoyance and jealousy all mixed together only grew through the waning hours of the day. Garrus paced in his quarters wildly, trying to calm and reason with himself. His mind was having none of it.

All he could think about was that infuriatingly frustrating woman. She hadn't done anything wrong, but the simple fact that Nihlus could elicit a smile from her drove him to the brink of madness.

Her display of flexibility for all his crew to see _did not_ help at all either. He sat through chow hearing the whispers of what a great _lay_ she would be, or how _wild_ she would be in bed. No one could think of her like that, _she was his. _

Garrus intended on making that clear. He couldn't handle the mind numbing insanity teasing his brain any longer. He needed her, and by the spirits he would _fucking_ have her.

* * *

The turian stormed into the quarters of her cell. Shepard sat up on her bed in alarm as Garrus paced back and forth before her. "Let me know if I've gone too far."

Her brow furrowed in confusion, "What-"

"No. Let me speak." Shepard was silenced sufficiently as she watched him intently. "I don't know if all your advances have been just little female games that you guys invent up. But I meant them. And if they were real, then you have to know that I won't stand for outside parties."

Shepard was floored. She blinked several times. "_What?"_

Garrus threw up a hand, "Nihlus. Or any other person. _No one, but me_."

The woman continued to stare at him. She held up her palms. "I don't know what you're talking about, there is nothing between me and Nihlus or any other person for that matter. You're acting kind of crazy-"

Garrus cried out, "You're making me crazy!"

The same infuriating blank expression remained on her face. "Look at me. I stormed in here..." His anger was slowly ebbing away as he realized the gravity of his mistake. _Not like this. _He sighed heavily.

"I don't expect you to reciprocate the same feelings, but I don't like being taken for a ride, Shepard." His shoulders slumped in defeat.

The woman couldn't quite describe the feelings that rushed through her body. Hell, they were the same feelings as always. Only now, they roared in appreciation that he did in fact have them as well. _No one, but me._

Her throat was incredibly dry. "Garrus..." Shepard crossed the room. The turian found himself up against the wall, staring into her wonderfully frost colored eyes. She gave a small, feminine, chuckle.

Her hand brought his talons to her cheek, and rubbed against them softly. A look of adoration coated her demeanor.

Shepard murmured gently. "You drive me absolutely crazy."

* * *

**Y'all guys are amazing :) You're support and kind words mean the world to me! I hope y'all enjoy the chapter! Thank you for reading!**


	11. Infected

**The Captive**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 11: Infected

* * *

The turian fought wildly against his restraints. Shepard watched sadly from the other side of the glass. Nihlus stopped beside her, "How long has he been like this?"

The woman shook her head, "I don't know. Some of his fellow trainees said that he's been complaining about hearing things and then he just went absolutely nuts today during chow."

Treynnus screamed psychotically. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

His body started convulsing violently as he snapped his jaws at the doctor's. Victus muttered, "So this is what you encountered on that ship?"

Shepard nodded her head, "Yeah, multiplied by about two hundred."

The fear on Jantor's face was evident. "Do you think it'll happen to us?"

The woman shrugged. "Can't say. He was bitten, maybe that's why he's reacting to it. You and I at most inhaled a few particles."

Nihlus spoke softly as he watched his fellow turian sorrowfully, "Is there nothing we can do, General?"

Victus fingered his mandibles with a talon. His thoughts heavy. "Perhaps. I used to work with a Salarian doctor a few years back. He's absolutely brilliant, if anyone can figure this out, he can."

Jantor turned to the General, "And if he can't?"

Victus' eyes mirrored his own painful thoughts. "Then we might consider the most merciful action possible for our dear friend."

Shepard's blood ran cold. She and Jantor shared a look, knowing exactly what was on the other's mind. Terror. Horror. Sorrow. It was all there.

"Nihlus, be sure to pass on the details of Treynnus' condition to Garrus. He'll be meeting with the Executor pretty soon, no time to waste."

The dark turian nodded his head in the affirmative, "Yes sir."

"Shepard, Jantor. I trust you will let us know immediately of any change in your conditions."

They both nodded their heads as they stared in at their friend. "GO AWAY!" His eyes rolled into the back of his head, his body trembling as if possessed. "NO! MAKE IT STOP!"

* * *

"Human. Prisoner? No restraints. Steady pulse, confident. Strong posture. Ah, soldier. You must be Commander Shepard." He spoke as quickly as he thought, and that was truly saying something.

Shepard's eyebrows raised, a small smile crossed her face in amusement. She extended her hand, "You have me at disadvantage."

"Hand shake. Human sign of greeting, friendship. Pleased to see this. I am Mordin Solus. Here to help."

His own hand grasped hers warmly and shook strongly. Shepard repressed the look of surprise. She had always thought the salarians were particularly weak. They were so skinny and small all over. According to Victus- Mordin Solus was former STG and a savant in the medical field. Basically, he was good at both taking life and saving life. A dangerous combination.

Mordin spoke rapidly as he analyzed the test results and examinations of Treynnus' body. He entered the room where the screaming turian was restrained. At the sight of flesh, he lost it again. Screaming and gnashing his teeth, convulsing like a maniac.

It was terrifying to see, yet Mordin didn't even flinch. He appeared hard at work while muttering to himself. Victus stood beside her with a slight chuckle.

"He may seem crazy, but he is absolutely brilliant."

Shepard smiled. "I like him."

The General's mandibles twitched into a small smile of his own. "I do too, Commander."

* * *

"Believe I have isolated the problem. Can begin working on an antidote immediately."

Shepard's surprise was evident across her features. "So quickly?"

"Salarians do not live long. Everything must be quick."

"Do you understand what it was?"

"Yes. I believe it was originally created for control. Obviously, that failed. Amateurs. Effectively destroys the mind of the infected over time. Your friend will be fine soon enough. You and the other will receive shots-"

There was a horrifying scream down the hall. Shepard's head snapped in it's direction. Charging from the crew quarters was Jantor. He was raging wildly. His eyes were a soulless black, his mouth snarling and roaring.

He looked straight at her. Shepard felt as if ice scolded her skin. With a terrifying scream he started running at her. All seven feet of turian in him combined with speed and a bit of psychosis turned him into one _scary motherfucker_.

"Shit."

Mordin slammed the door. "No time. Must work on cure. Handle turian."

Instead of arguing for help, Shepard turned to face Jantor. Willing herself to stay in one place with every fiber of her being. She breathed heavily, fear roaring through her veins. She just needed to distract him long enough until he could be restrained.

No big deal. Except that he was a huge, fucking monster.

He got closer with each passing millisecond. Shepard's resolve never faltering as she stood strong, bracing herself to escape his line of path at the last second.

Shepard jumped out of the way, but the turian swept his arms, grasping her around the middle and slammed her into the floor. She gasped for air as he jumped to start tearing at her.

Shepard rolled away and leapt to her feet. She found herself trapped in a corner. Terrified and alone. Jantor screamed horrifically and charged her again. This time she braced herself for impact when a blur passed in front of her.

The crazy turian was knocked roughly to the ground by none other than Garrus Vakarian.

Jantor pinned Garrus to the ground, his teeth chomping and slamming down, trying to grasp a hold of him. He desperately tried to hold off the infected turian. Shepard's boot slammed into the side of his face, knocking him off Garrus momentarily. Just long enough for him to escape.

Jantor charged the other turian again. Shepard jumped on his back to throw him off balance and take his attention away from Garrus. The psychotic man spun around wildly and began slamming her against walls violently.

She fell to the floor heavily and the monster grabbed her by the throat and hoisted her into the air. She struggled and choked as his grasp became tighter and tighter. Mordin flashed into her eyesight. He held a syringe in his hand that he deftly injected into the turian's neck.

His grasp became more loose and he released her as his body crumpled to the floor. Garrus was at her side nearly immediately, his arms cradled her close as she gasped for air.

The salarian stood before them. "Hm. Impressive. Took a krogan level tranquilizer to quell the manic rage. Very interesting."

* * *

Shepard knocked on the door tentatively. There was a distant grunt, "Come in."

The doors swished open, she entered slowly. Her eyes scanned the room with interest. There were several guns scattered about the room, some taken apart, others gleaming. Garrus appeared from what she guessed to be the bathroom.

Surprise flitted across his face. "Shepard, didn't expect to see you. Need me for something?"

He only wore the undersuit pants. His chest was completely bare and incredibly interesting. His body seemed to only consist of muscle and bone plating. "I couldn't sleep. Just wanted to talk, if you're not busy?"

He suddenly appeared very uncomfortable and fidgety. "Sure, but I, uh, should probably put some clothes on-"

Shepard stopped him, her hand laid on his chest plates. "No, sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I just have never seen a turian under all that armor."

He visibly relaxed, a small smile replaced his nervousness. "Well, this puts me at a disadvantage. I have yet to find out what you humans look like under all that armor."

The small woman gave him a mischievous grin. "Play your cards right, and you just might find out."

Garrus' eyes widened his body tensed, "Oh. Um, I, uh, didn't think. Hm."

Shepard gave a small feminine giggle as her hands ran along his plating and skin with interest. "Calm down, I just came to talk, not to pressure you into anything."

The turian felt relaxation and disappointment all at once. He watched her carefully. She didn't appear to be herself. Her eyes were clouded with only what Garrus could describe as worry. His talons played with the tips of her hair, "Are you okay?"

Her eyes jumped to his, in what first was going to be denial. Her posture crashed, shoulders slumped as she began to pace.

"I've just been worried. Especially after Jantor attacked us today."

"You're wondering when it's going to happen to you?"

The small woman appeared smaller as the fragility washed over her like a tidal wave. "I was on the ship the longest. Why haven't I gone crazy? I feel like I have to anticipate it and I'm scared it's going to happen- I don't want to end up like that, Garrus."

"Mordin is working on a cure, if it were to happen to you, you would be fine because we would take care of it."

"What if I hurt someone before you can help me though?"

"That's a risk all of us are willing to take. We're not going to lock you up forever for something that might never happen."

Shepard nodded her head, Garrus' talon tipped her chin up so he could look into her eyes. They were so deep in sadness. "I just wished it hadn't happened to Trey or Jantor. They came onto that ship with me so bravely, and now this has happened to them."

"The only reason this has happened to them is because you made sure they got off that ship alive. No one is blaming you, Shepard."

Her voice was small and defeated. "I am."

Garrus embraced her tightly, pressing his mandibles against her cheek. Shepard laughed softly, "Be careful, I could go absolutely crazy at any moment."

"Maybe, I like_ crazy_." The suggestive tone of his voice evoked a laugh from the small woman. Her eyes connected with his, they were bright as her smile. Her finger poked him, "You're a dirty man."

Her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers finding that sensitive spot beneath the fringe. There was a low rumbling sound in the turian's chest. His eyes fluttered shut. Shepard grinned at his reaction, his head lowered to her neck.

His teeth bit into her in a wonderful sensation of pleasure intertwined with pain. She couldn't repress the moan that escaped her lips. Garrus gave a primal growl at the sweet sound she emitted. His clothes suddenly began to feel very constrictive as his plates shifted.

Shepard pushed against him until he fell backwards on the bed. Her lips gently nipped at his mandibles eliciting another growl from him. Her tongue swiped against his mouth, begging for entrance. Her taste was so incredibly sweet as his tongue explored her mouth. _Was this a 'kiss'? _It felt strange to him but it was also the most incredible discovery he had ever made.

His talons pushed their way up her shirt, feeling her smooth skin greedily. He reveled in the warmth that exuded from her small frame. Her hips ground against his and he tugged at her shirt desperately.

Shepard paused and sat up, pulling her shirt off in a flash. Garrus' blue eyes drank in her appearance, the incredibly smooth, olive colored skin seem to glow in the low light. She smiled down at him as she unhooked her bra.

The turian carefully cupped her breasts with extreme interest. His talon flicked the pink nub and Shepard moaned enticingly.

Garrus flipped her over on her back, before he knew it, she and him were completely naked. He stared at her sex curiously, Shepard twitched nervously, trying to cover herself. Garrus gave a small chuckle, "Stop."

He rubbed against her gently and was surprised at how wet she was. A small moan escaped her lips as her back arched into him. He slid a talon in between her folds, Shepard gasped, "Garrus...please."

A smirk crossed his face as he rubbed his member against her. She writhed beneath him as he entered her slowly, carefully. He dropped his head and growled as her walls tightened around him. Shepard wrapped her legs around his waist, meeting each one of his pumps with a rise of her own.

He progressed quicker as the pleasure began to cloud his mind, Shepard's moans and mewls driving him to the brink. Her walls tightened and spasmed around him and she cried out. Garrus felt the hot white explosion spread throughout his body, he groaned and shuddered against her. His head falling against her shoulder.

Their breaths were heavy and hot with the recent impact of relief. He rolled onto his back, Shepard's hand touched him gently. He looked at her, his smile reflecting hers. He reached up and wrapped his hand in hers against his chest.

She pressed her lips against the side of his face. He murmured into her hair softly as his hand ran up and down her body gently. "Stay with me?"

Shepard looked into his eyes, she rolled over on top of him and pressed her lips against his mandibles, speaking softly into his mouth, "I would love to."

* * *

**Ugh. I'm sorry if the sex scene was awkward. I am just not good at describing these scenes, ever. I can barely watch movies with sex scenes in them because I feel like a fucking creeper that watches people have sex secretly. D: Lol, anyways, thank you so much for all the positive feedback, your reviews are greatly appreciated! I hope y'all enjoy the chapter!**


	12. Tribute

**The Captive**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 12: Tribute

* * *

Garrus awoke to a stirring. His eyes opened slowly, he straightened out, stretching his muscles satisfyingly. Shepard was frantically getting dressed. He blinked, "Wha's goin' on?"

He rubbed a hand over his face as her head snapped up, her skin was pale. "I-I keep hearing things."

The turian sat up quickly. "Do you need help?"

The frightened woman shook her head, but suddenly cried out. She collapsed to her knees, covering her ears. Her body shook in tremors and sweat beaded across her forehead. Garrus threw on a pair of pants and picked her up gently.

"It's okay, we're going to get you to the medbay." He paused as she whimpered again. Her eyes were smashed shut. "It's okay. It's going to be okay."

His voice merely whispered as he carried her through the halls. "_Please_ be okay."

The door to the medbay whirred open, he set her down on the bed. Garrus murmured, "I'm sorry, I have to do this-"

Her eyes opened, the brilliant steel gray glistened in the light. He strapped her arms and legs down and sprinted from the room the find Mordin. He slowed slightly as a horrific scream guttered from the medbay.

Garrus turned as doors began to open. Turian's peered out to see what was going on. Mordin appeared,

"The Commander?"

He nodded weakly. "Yes, she needs the shot."

Mordin's face seemed to tighten. "The antidote. Useless after too long. Jantor and Treynnus- dead."

"_What?_" He felt as if his whole world was crashing down upon him. They jogged down the hall towards the medbay.

"The infection destroys brain capacity after too long. Antidote cures infection, but not brain damage. Body shuts down."

"So, this antidote could kill her?" Mordin began to reply but was interrupted by her horrible scream again. Her back arched as she tore at the restrictions violently.

"Probable. Only chance. Must do it."

Mordin locked the door behind him, leaving Garrus in the hallway. He stared through the window helplessly.

"You heard about Jantor and Trey?" Nihlus spoke softly.

Garrus hadn't even seen him approach. The turian nodded his head stiffly. "Yes."

"Unfortunate. They were good men. Fought for this ship selflessly just to die from what they saved us from."

His brilliant blue eyes held contact as Mordin slid the needle into her arm. His voice was barely a whisper, "And now we could lose her."

There were several long seconds in which everyone held their breath. Shepard's body stopped trembling, her back lowered against the bed. Her eyes closed and her body slumped.

Mordin's posture seemed to slouch, his shoulders drooped. He turned to the window and shook his head. Garrus slammed a fist against the window, crying out. "_No."_

In an instant, the life returned to the Commander's body. A scream of pain left her mouth as her body arched again. She fell against the bed, her breath was heavy and laden and she jerked in confusion. Her eyes wide with fright as she looked around.

Mordin spoke quickly, "Shepard!"

"Mordin?"

"You survived. Interesting. Must begin to analyze."

Shepard blinked, "What happened?"

"You don't remember? Hm." The salarian doctor paused, his fingers held to his lips. "What is the last thing you do remember?"

Shepard's mind whirled as she tried desperately to think back. Her brain hurt. It felt swollen against her skull. "I was with-" She stopped shortly. A look of embarrassment crossed her face. "I remember last night."

There appeared to be a hint of amusement on his face. She couldn't be so sure though. "Hm. Very interesting, will begin analysis as soon as I medicate your allergic reaction."

Her face twisted, "Allergic reaction to what?"

"Interspecies mating. Sometimes provokes allergic reactions."

Her face paled ten fold. Shepard's eyes connected with the desperate, but now very humiliated blue ones of her turian. Garrus leaned his forward against the glass, groaning. Nihlus sent him a sly grin. "_You_."

The turian punched him in the shoulder playfully. "I _knew_ it!"

"Knew what?" Vitani asked venomously.

Garrus stiffened, Nihlus said nothing in response to her. Mordin spoke from the medbay room. "Will need you soon, Garrus. Allergic reactions not fatal, but should be tended to."

The turian woman looked between him and Shepard. She gave a predatory growl. "You and _that?_" She advanced on Garrus. He stood unflinchingly. "What kind of turian are you? It's like a pet-"

Garrus growled, "Don't talk about her like that. She's twice the woman you could ever be."

Vitani yelled angrily as he turned to leave. "Sometimes I think that this was a mistake."

"I've always thought that."

"_What?"_

"I've always thought that you were a mistake." He repeatedly vehemently.

Nihlus gave a loud, bark-like laugh. Vitani turned on him, her eyes wild with rage. He laughed again. "Spirits. This week is great."

* * *

Victus nodded his head. "Good to see you've recovered, Commander."

"Thank you, sir. I'm fit to fight."

"Excellent." He paused and looked at the hologram of the ship. He looked around, his eyes connecting with the eyes of Garrus, Nihlus, Vitani, and Shepard.

"I'm not going to lie. This is going to be one hell of a mission for the four of you. I'm confident you all will be able to handle it though."

He began to pace, his talons clasped behind his back. "We've begun our approach. We should be there in a few hours. I suggest rest, grab some chow, enjoy the time you have."

Victus faced them again. "I want you to know, I am proud of all of you. You're some of the best the galaxy has to offer, and I can only hope that you will all return." His eyes directed towards Shepard. "I know you will do everything in your power to ensure everyone's safety."

Vitani's voice cracked like a whip on the room, "_She's_ the team leader?"

The General turned his back to them. "Yes, Vitani."

"_This_ is a turian operation and you're putting the enemy-"

"She isn't the enemy, Vitani. Shepard is a part of this crew and has saved countless lives in her stay here. She led Treynnus and Jantor through the assault of the Batarian base, and it was a success."

The turian woman spat. "A success? Treynnus and Jantor are _both_ dead, while she still lives. Hasn't anyone else found this strange?"

Shepard hissed, "I did everything I could for them!"

Victus whirled around, "Enough!"

Mordin cleared his throat, "If I may offer an explanation. Human's have lived their entire lives living and breathing the pollution of their world. In short, the filters and lungs of their body are heavily resistant to toxins."

Vitani growled, "So, she only lived because her species doesn't know how to take care of their world?"

"Yes." The salarian nodded his head in the affirmative.

She threw up her hands. "Typical." The turian woman paced angrily. Victus spoke again, "I trust you will put aside your differences for the mission, Vitani."

"Of course, sir." She replied through gritted teeth. Her eyes glaring into Shepard's.

"Good. Dismissed."

* * *

"How do you know when a turian runs out of ammo?" Shepard asked, a grin dancing on her face and in her eyes.

Nihlus and Garrus paused between cleaning their guns. They both asked in unison, "How?"

Shepard gave a restrained laugh as she tried to get the answer out. The amusement on their faces was clearly evident. "Because he switches to the stick up his ass!"

Her laughter burst clear and loudly in the room. Her leg brushed against Garrus' as she rest her foot on the table, just under his.

Nihlus and Garrus gave a chuckle.

The dark turian smiled slightly. "As far as turian's go, I think Jantor had the biggest stick."

Garrus laughed, "Spirits! He did."

Nihlus grinned in thought, "I remember when he first arrived on the ship, I sent him to retrieve my data pad. He saluted me and said 'yes sir! This trainee accepts your honorable mission, sir!' He then sprinted off and returned not even thirty seconds later with my data pad."

They all burst out laughing. Shepard smiled, "He was a good turian."

"Great man." Nihlus echoed with an agreeing nod.

Garrus gave a small smile accompanying his chuckle, "Spirits, do you remember when Treynnus pulled that prank on Jantor?"

The turian laughed, "Shit. I forgot about that." Nihlus' eyes pierced Shepard's, "Trey was not a very disciplined turian. But, damn was he one of the best."

Shepard smiled, "What happened?"

"One day, Trey got it in his head to mess with Jantor. He stormed his barracks, trying to appear alarmed and grabbed hold of Jantor. 'The General! He needs you, _now_!' Jantor was so confused and replied 'It's lights out-' And Trey cut him off, 'Are you going to argue, he probably needs help!'"

Garrus paused laughing, Shepard grinned as she saw where the story was headed.

"Anyways, Jantor picked the lock on Victus' door, totally convinced the General was in dire need of his help. He rushed in there while he was using the restroom, busted open the door, yelling at the top of his lungs, 'Sir! Trainee Jantor at your requested service!'"

Nihlus busted out laughing, Garrus chuckled, "Shut up, let me finish."

His chuckles subsided as he continued with a grin, "The General was so surprised, he fell over and knocked his gun to the floor. The gun went off and Jantor leapt on top of Victus and started firing his gun at the doorway, yelling, 'SUPPRESSING FIRE!'"

Shepard clutched her stomach as she laughed- tears rolled down her face. Garrus was smiling, his eyes twinkled in thought, "As you can imagine, Victus was not pleased. His room was totally destroyed."

"My God. That is _too_ funny." The woman broke out in fresh giggles.

The room became quiet as they cleaned their weapons in silence. Smiles fresh on their faces. One glance at each other and the room became filled with laughter once more.

Nihlus lifted his glass, "To Jantor- may you work that stick out of your ass wherever you may be."

Garrus echoed, "To Trey- may you give them all hell."

Shepard repeated the movement, a sad smile crossed her face, "To both of you- Thanks for the memories, boys."

* * *

**Here you go, guys! I appreciate all the feedback SO much! Thank you for reading and reviewing! Enjoy the chapter!**


	13. Final Hope

**The Captive**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 13: Final Hope

* * *

The shuttle jerked through the torrential atmosphere. All was quite. Solemn. Knowing of the tough battle to come.

Shepard leaned on her rifle. Her eyes caught Vitani, they held each other's gaze momentarily. Shepard nodded her head in a peace offering. The turian woman looked away sharply in disgust.

The shuttle gave another rough jerk. Shepard's shoulders bumped into Garrus'. His legs banged into hers. She felt the steady descent and stood slowly. Her helmet clicked into place.

She felt Garrus' chest brush her back. Her mind flooded uneasily as her gut clenched in worry. Nihlus stood beside her, his blazing green eyes captured hers. He nodded his head, and spoke softly. "Let's do this, Commander."

Her heart soared with the courage Nihlus offered her. She nodded her head in response. The doors to the shuttle slid open, rain pelted the ground in large splashes. Her boots sloshed in the heavy and slick mud. Her rifle lifted to it's sights as she swept the area and moved forward quickly.

The building loomed before them treacherously. It was massive. Shepard stared in awe at the lightning capacitors near the roofs as lightning struck over and over again. Thunder roared in the distance but got louder and louder, it felt like a shock wave when it hit them.

She could hear the shattering of the shields as they were knocked to the ground by it's force.

"We need to get inside!"

Shepard grabbed Garrus' hand and hauled him to his feet. They sprinted for the doors; Garrus made short work of the alarm and the lock. Shepard went in first, her rifle at the ready as she cleared the hallway.

The echo of their boots seemed to go on and on. It was deadly silent and the roof seemed to go up forever. The door whirred shut behind them. Nihlus grunted, "It's...huge."

Shepard nodded her head. "Lots of room for beasties. Stay frosty."

As they entered the next corridor, their boots began to have an even larger echo. Garrus mumbled, "Notice the echoes?"

"Yup. We're walking on hollowed ground." The small woman murmured.

They slowed, Nihlus gave a small jump. The building made an enormous rumbling sound, they froze. The ground began to shake beneath them. A wall appeared before them and behind them. Shards of the flooring began to disappear.

Shepard sprinted towards the wall, Nihlus backed into her as another wall fell down in between the squad. Garrus grabbed Vitani trying to haul her to her feet, out of the way. "GARRUS!" Her scream was drowned out by the crashing of the wall against the floor.

As the dust cleared, the building became silent once more. Shepard slammed her fists into the wall, she called on her radio, "Garrus? Vitani? Can you read me?"

There was no reply. Shepard looked to Nihlus. Her eyes were wide. "What the fuck just happened?"

The turian looked just as worried as her. He scanned the newly formed room, his voice rumbled. "It would appear as if we're being herded, Shepard."

She gave him a confused look.

Nihlus pointed his gun at the end of the room. She turned to be faced with a green light of an open doorway. "The question is: Who is the cattle? Us, or the monsters?"

A feeling of dread roared through her body as she moved towards the doorway. "One way to find out."

As she moved forward, there was a distinct scratching sound behind her. She stopped and turned slowly, fear coursed through her body violently. Her breath hitched in her throat. She barely guttered out, "N-Nihlus?"

He was gone.

She was alone.

Shepard swallowed as she looked around the room, the door behind her had been the only exit. _Where the hell did he go? Worse. Who took him?_

The woman turned around again and flicked her flashlight on as she walked through the darkened hallway. It was the true meaning of pitch black. She cursed the range of her flashlight as the moans began to reach her ears.

She chewed on her lip as her heart roared in her body. The silence was deafening. Her boots clicked along the floor. The air was stiff. Shepard swallowed nervously as sweat beaded across her forward.

She moved forward slowly. Something moved near by and she whirled only to be hit in the face. Her gun hit the ground with a clank as Shepard whirled around.

She struck out deftly and landed a punch, a grunt of pain followed. She was knocked to the ground and a body straddled her. She growled against clenched teeth and whipped her omni-sword out. The blade lit up the area around her.

Shepard bucked her hips wildly as her knees came crashing down on the arms striking her. The blade immediately went to the throat of her attacker. She paused. Blue eyes. Terrible scars, but human all the same. Her chest rose and fell wildly as they stared at each other distrustfully.

His hips lifted her up and she growled, slamming her weight back down into his pelvis. The grizzly voice growled in response, "Get off me ya' stupid bitch."

She stared in a shock. "Who are you?"

"None of your goddamn business." His accent was thick and rich and his vocals were gravelly. She pressed the blade against his throat with more malice. "Tell me who you are and what you're doing here."

"Name's Zaeed Massani. Alliance contracted me to take out this turian base."

"_Turian?" _Her voice was incredulous as she crawled off of him.

"Yeah. The Alliance fucked up. Who's surprised?" The mercenary stood before her. She held out her omni-tool light.

"They sent a mercenary here _alone?_"

"Their precious Commander Shepard was killed in action a month and half ago. They needed someone to lead a team."

"And the team?"

"Dead or crazies by now I imagine." He crossed his arms, looking her up and down. "Alliance sent you here to find me?"

She shook her head and holstered her weapon. "I'm here with the turian military."

The man's eyes narrowed. "You're human."

"Nice observation skills."

The mercenary growled a warning as he advanced towards her. Shepard tilted her chin in defiance. "This place- I'm not sure what it is-"

The mercenary cut her off. "A breeding grounds for all the crazies."

"I _knew_ that. I just don't know what for."

The man stepped away again and crossed his arms. "It's not the turian military running this place, thats for sure."

"That was the reason you were sent here?"

"Yeah. A turian is running the place, but I think the bird is more interested in keeping the war going. Making it appear to the Alliance that they're experimenting on humans. There are all sorts of aliens here. This is a galactic wide thing."

"I ran into a ship full of them a couple weeks ago. Blew it to hell."

Zaeed frowned down at her. "What's your name?"

She gave a short, wry laugh. "This is going to sound crazy, but I'm Commander Shepard."

He appeared unsurprised. "Goddamn idiots. I thought it sounded strange that a measly maw got a hold of you."

She shrugged. "Oh, I did get into some shit with a maw, but the turian military saved me."

The man picked up his weapon. Shepard spoke quickly, "I could use your help."

He laughed. "I'm a merc, sweetheart. No creds, no help. I'm getting out of this god forsaken hell hole."

The small woman growled. "So you're just going to leave me here?"

"That's the plan."

Shepard raised her gun. "Or I could shoot you."

Zaeed lifted an eyebrow. "No you won't."

"What makes you so sure? You're of no use to me."

The large man crossed the threshold and twisted the gun against her chest roughly. He pushed her against the wall. Shepard struggled as he spoke, "If you meant to shoot me, you would've already."

Shepard spat, "_Fuck_ you, asshole. Just go save yourself."

The mercenary backed away. He chuckled gruffly. His grizzly voice called back to her as she watched his back fading into the darkness. "You've got guts kid, maybe that'll give you a chance against the crazies."

Shepard could scream she was so irritated. _Fucking asshole._ She forced herself back into focus as she crept down the hallway. Her breath was controlled and quiet. She saw a light ahead, her steps quickened. Desperate to be where she could see again.

Shepard breathed a sigh of relief, only for it to be washed away again. The new corridor she was in revealed a long hallway with flashing signs on doors. Red, green, red, green. They flickered incessantly and at maddening speeds.

She holstered her rifle and pulled her pistol out for the small hallway. Close quarters and assault rifles didn't mix well. Her eyes darted around as the lights continued to flicker as she passed them by.

A door whirred open and before Shepard could turn, her body was slammed against the door behind her with an incredible force of ferocity. She yelped in pain as the creature against her roared angrily. His eyes were so black. So, so black.

The door behind her opened from the pressure of her back against it. She tumbled backwards and the krogan landed on her. Her mind flashing back to the pod. Terror ripped through her mind and body as she struggled against his pummels and head. His teeth clamped closely to her face. Shepard became very aware of the moans in the room. Her eyes looked around wildly at the soulless eyes moving towards her.

She cried out in fear as she struggled against the krogan. She had to get away. Now. They crawled, stumbled, and staggered towards her. Shepard bucked her hips wildly. She screamed in effort, her muscles trembled against the ferocious resistance.

Her omni-sword flipped out and she began stabbed into the monster repeatedly. An asari grabbed her arm and pulled, another grabbed her helmet and began pulled at her head. _Not like this. Not like this._

"NOT LIKE THIS!" Shepard roared angrily and with every ounce of her being she rolled her body backwards, tossing the krogan into her attackers. Her fist beat into the face of the asari. She tucked and rolled away from the mob.

Shepard's hand wrapped around her pistol and she fired into the mob. Once. Twice. Again and again, the bodies began to fall as she backed out of the room, firing with the rage that came with the desperate need to survive.

Hands grappled at her back and Shepard whirled around to be faced with the creatures trying to force a door open. Their arms flailed through the opening, grasping and tugged. She threw her arm up violently, knocking their hands off of her.

Shepard turned again and began firing on the advancing enemy. She broke into a sprint down the hall, the doors began to and the beasties poured from inside each room. Shepard saw a large opening ahead that had a control panel. _Doors._

The last door of the hallway opened and creatures _sprinted_ from inside. They were incredibly fast and wild in their movements. They stopped and their eyes, the black peered at Shepard.

Shepard ducked their attack and sprinted as fast as she possibly could run away from the crazies. She could hear the soft steps of the creatures after her. The fast ones. She didn't shoot a glance behind her, and forced all her energy forward to escaping.

A body jumped on her back and she felt the teeth ripping at the armor, the shields shattering. Shepard tripped and rolled to dislodge the monster. She landed on her back and began firing quickly. They began to fall, but one dodged her shot and leapt on her body heavily.

She felt her helmet being ripped from her head. Her scream never left her mouth as the creatures head exploded all over the wall. Her eyes stared up at the blue ones of Zaeed Massani. He extended his hand roughly. "We need to go."

Shepard grasped his hand as he pulled her to her feet and shoved her forward. He fired his gun a few more times. Shepard whipped her sword out and settled her pistol on her forearm and began firing quickly.

They backed past the doorway, Shepard leapt onto the controls. "Hold them off!"

"That was the general idea." He muttered. A creature jumped towards the entrance. Zaeed met his body with a powerful kick to his chest. Shepard tackled the mercenary to the ground as the doors slammed close. Her chest heaved wildly as she sat up. "You came back."

"Nice observation."

"Thank you." Shepard spoke softly as she stood.

Zaeed muttered, "Don't thank me, you're gonna owe me a lot of creds when we get through here."

Shepard gave a small, crooked grin. "Asshole."

The room was enormous and circular in shape. A rectangular bridge extended to the console at the front of the room. It was completely plain besides the windows that showed a view to the outside planet, where the storm raged angrily.

"Never been in here." The mercenary muttered.

Shepard ignored him as she saw a turian kneeling near the center of the room. It was Nihlus. She gasped in surprise and ran towards him happily, "Nihlus!-"

The smile left her face as she saw the glistening pool of blood around him. His body heaved when he collapsed to the floor. Shepard dropped beside him. Her eyes looking over him wildly. There was a single gunshot wound to his chest, his unreal, blazing green eyes stared into hers desperately. She felt tears prick dangerously.

He struggled to speak, his body trembling. He choked, "V-Vitani-" He gasped in pain as his body seized.

"Vitani what?" Shepard asked desperately.

A shot rung out and Zaeed collapsed to the floor with a yell of pain. Shepard whirled around to see the turian woman advancing towards them, her gun raised. Shepard reached for her pistol.

"Don't you dare, or I'll kill him." Vitani snarled.

Shepard paused, staring at the turian woman. Disbelief clouded her thoughts, "It was you all along. You were the leak."

Vitani cackled, "Took you long enough."

A terrible feeling of dread washed through her, "Where's Garrus?"

"He became a snack for my projects."

The rage roared through her unlike anything else. Garrus, her turian, was dead. "You shot Nihlus."

"Yes, I did. And I enjoyed it." She smirked sickeningly.

Shepard's blood boiled, she forced her words through gritted teeth. "You'll die for that, bitch."

The turian gave her another sneer. She pointed her gun at Zaeed and clicked her mandibles menacingly. Shepard moved in front of the mercenary, protecting his body with hers. Her eyes bore into the turian's with the utmost hatred.

"Why, Vitani?" Shepard gestured to the chaos of the building.

Vitani shrugged. "I don't expect you to understand. Something big is headed our way, I needed to ensure this war lasted. They're after you humans."

The woman gave a laugh of disbelief. "You allied yourself with a force so powerful it could wipe out any race so that they will hopefully protect you?"

The turian growled, "I'm giving them what they want, they'll see our use-"

Zaeed muttered through his pain, "Stupid bitch. They're gonna let us wipe each other out, and then kill us all."

Vitani snarled angrily and fired a round at the mercenary. Shepard stepped in the way of it and nearly collapsed as the bullet pierced her hip. She grunted in pain, and forced herself to straighten and ignore the feel of warm blood trickling down her stomach and leg.

Her breath deepened as the pain speared her body, nearly crumpling it. Vitani laughed, "This hurts you Shepard, now move. I'm going to blow this place to hell, and make it appear to the humans that the turians blew it to cover their asses, and reveal to the entire galactic space the monstrosities you human's are."

Shepard growled. "No, you aren't. This ends here."

Vitani pulled up her omni-tool. The door on the right side of the room slid open. "It wasn't a challenge, Shepard. My pet will handle you easily."

There was a terrible roar, far more fierce than any krogan's she had ever heard. Out of the depths of darkness leapt a terribly huge creature. It's skin held a reddish hue and it's teeth zippered up each side of it's face.

The turian woman smiled, "Meet my yahg. He's the perfection of my experiments. Completely obedient to me."

Zaeed stood slowly, his breath drew sharply. Shepard murmured softly, "Get out of here, Zaeed. I've got this one."

"Like hell. Take care of the bitch, I'll hold this beastie off."

She nodded her head slowly, she looked back to the turian who was watching them with narrowed eyes. Shepard leapt forward and pushed the barrel of her gun away. They tumbled to the ground, the gun falling several feet away.

Shepard growled at the pain in her side as she fought the woman desperately. She saw her omni-sword withdraw in a flash and come down towards her neck. Shepard blocked the blow with her own sword, enjoying the look of surprise on the turian's face.

She bucked her hips and escaped Vitani's grasp. They stood, circling each other in a predatory manner. Vitani struck out quickly and Shepard blocked, ducking and diving out of the way of each of the turian's life ending moves.

Vitani's leg swept Shepard's out from under her. She fell on her back painfully, near the edge of the bridge. She brought her leg up violently in the turian's chest. Shepard launched her boot into her chest once more, tossing the turian backwards.

Shepard looked to Zaeed. He stumbled out of the way of the creature, firing his weapon. He reached a corner, her heart leapt in fear. She pulled her pistol out and went to fire when from the balcony dropped a turian in between the mercenary and the yahg.

He held an incisor sniper rifle and was covered with all sorts of colored blood. As the yahg charged, he butted him in the face with the end of his rifle violently. Temporarily disoriented, they moved from the corner. Shepard's heart soared. _Garrus. He was alive._

Shepard whipped around just in time to block Vitani's omni-sword. She whipped the pistol across the turian's face and kicked her back against the console. The turian snarled and kicked the weapon from Shepard's hand and tackled her to the floor.

Blood dripped from her mouth, the sneer on her face was almost psychotic. Garrus stooped to a crouch, resting his rifle on his arm and leaning his elbow against his thigh for support. The yahg screamed horrifically and charged him. The ground shook as he fired over and over again. The movements slowed, but he was still coming.

Garrus sat patiently. He waiting until the yahg jumped through the air towards him. The turian ducked and rolled out of the way, the yahg screamed as he fell over the edge into the endless abyss.

Shepard pushed Vitani away, and was able to hold off her assaults until Vitani's knees came down on her arms. The blade of her sword pushed against the Commander's neck, cutting menacingly into the skin. Shepard stopped struggling instantly and held still as the turian smirked wildly.

"Garrus will be next. Don't worry. I'll be sure to make it nice and slow for him and the human. I want you to hear their screams just as you start to drift off into the hell you belong in."

Shepard snarled, "You're disgusting. You've betrayed this entire galaxy."

"I'm saving this galaxy. Except for you humans. The galaxy doesn't need you." The blade pressed harder, Shepard's breath was short and stiff as the blood trickled down her neck.

"Do you want to know the way Nihlus sounded when I shot him? While I watched him lay dying? Pitiful, weak, mewling creature. Undeserving just like those fools, Treynnus and Jantor-"

Shepard roared angrily, she bucked her hips and cut the blade of Vitani's sword with her own, her knees caught the turian in the chest. Shepard jumped forward and slammed her into the ground. She didn't waste any time and delve the sword deep into her chest and tugged upwards, tearing at the bone and hardened plating.

Vitani screamed. Shepard hissed. "Scream. Scream like the coward you are. Tell me who you're working for."

The turian gave a final defiant smirk that was marred with the pain she felt. "You can't stop them. My leader will make sure this happens. They can't be stopped, you will die Shepard, and I can't wait to watch you burn in hell."

Shepard snarled, "I hope you burn for eternity for what you've done." The snapping of her neck satisfied the Commander to no end. She rose to her feet slowly and turned to face Garrus and Zaeed.

The mercenary held his chest, hunched over in pain. Garrus handed him a medigel packet. He approached Shepard slowly, he was colored in every type of blood imaginable. She spoke softly, "I thought you died."

The turian smiled weakly. "Takes more than a few raving beasties to take me down."

The woman smiled, she walked towards Zaeed. "I can't even express how much your help today has meant to me. You've saved my life-"

"You took a goddamn bullet for me you dumb bitch. Consider your debt paid." His grizzled voice cut in.

Shepard released her breath with a weak smile, "Thank you, Zaeed."

He grunted. The woman strode towards the console weakly. "Guess we better set the charges and get the hell out of here before we have to deal with more crazies."

"What about Nihlus and Vitani?"

"Grab Nihlus. He deserves a proper burial." Shepard said sadly. She looked at Nihlus, the anger rising in her once more. _He didn't deserve this._

Garrus nodded his head and carefully shouldered the dead turian. The console began to click down on the count. They exited the building without resistance, the shuttle awaited them. Shepard sat down carefully, her body finally feeling the full toll of the battle that had just occurred. Every ache and pain ruptured through her body violently.

Garrus spoke in alarm, "Shepard! You've been shot."

She looked down at the blood oozing from her body, her eyebrows quirked as her face was written in exhaustion. Zaeed muttered gruffly.

"Rage is a hell of an anesthetic."

* * *

**Sorry for any mistakes. I corrected the chapter, but I usually need to go through a couple times to get all of them. It's so weird how difficult it is to correct your own work, but reading other's work, it's like mistakes are highlighted haha. Anyways, here's y'alls new chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed it :)**


	14. Remembrance

**The Captive**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 14: Remembrance

* * *

Garrus stared at the walls adorning his friend's room. Nihlus' death had hit him hard. At every moment of the day he expected to turn and see those blazing green eyes, those hard, yet friendly eyes. He couldn't believe his lifelong friend had died, and at the hand of of a traitor.

His mandibles fluttered as his hands grasped a picture of him and Nihlus at their graduation. Nihlus was such a jackass sometimes, but Garrus couldn't help but smile sadly. In their earlier days, the turian questioned everything- like some sort of philosopher. The only reason Nihlus ever did was because it pissed everyone off- he loved to get a rise out of people.

Nihlus was never one to follow the rules and traditions. He had his own thoughts of the world and the way people should live. He believed no matter what the hierarchy said, all turians were turians. They were creatures with souls, thoughts, and feelings. Everyone was the same.

He even thought this of every other species in the galaxy. Even humans. He often ridiculed the war. Garrus still cringed when he thought of Nihlus throwing it in the Primarch's face. He could have laughed now, thinking of the reaction from the Primarch.

He was absolutely astounded, bewildered that a turian, a spectre at that, would blame the war on his own race. Nihlus had been the best of them all.

He always chided Garrus for being to stuck in the turian ways.

"_Come on, Garrus!" Nihlus prodded the turian. "Have you ever looked at the galaxy, and thought for a moment what it would be like to be a brand new race?"_

_Garrus stared at him in confusion. Nihlus just laughed._

"_Think of it this way. Look at our planet- now try imagining living there for your entire life with no knowledge of the outside world. Right here, right now, we're just seeing it for the first time. And now there are these creatures unlike us, attacking and speaking a strange language. Who is to blame?"_

_The turian shifted uncomfortably. "Well-"_

"_No. Don't even try to rationalize. I understand, there was confusion and fear. Simply turian nature. Which, funny enough, the humans have that same nature. Makes us similar, doesn't it?"_

"_I suppose it does." Garrus conceded slowly._

"_Life is so short, and we've become some ungrateful of the lifetime's we have. When was the last time you stopped and just admired the stars in the sky? Or the beauty of a planet? Or the beauty of another species?"_

_Garrus snorted. "Beauty?-"_

_Nihlus grinned and chuckled. "Don't make fun." He sobered, while staring out into the blackness of space. "Seriously, life is incredible. We take it without a second thought, just because someone is different. We cut another's life short, just because they don't look like us, or think like us."_

_The turian stared at him, waiting for him to continue. His mind reeling with the words Nihlus spoke. _

"_Are the salarian's any less of a living being than us?"_

"_Well, no."_

"_Then, why is it deemed that the humans don't have a right to live peacefully along us?"_

_Garrus hummed gently. "I think you think too much."_

"_And I think you don't think enough, my friend." His mandibles fluttered as he returned his gaze to deep space. Admiring the glitter of the stars. _

"_They aren't ready for this."_

"_They made it here on their own. Just as we did fifteen thousand years ago. They deserve the chance and we are trying to make sure they don't get one. Hell of a first impression."_

_Garrus laughed. "You have a valid point, but you aren't anyone important to the hierarchy. They don't care what you have to say."_

_Nihlus nodded his head. "Once this war is over, before I die- I will make sure a human makes it into the spectres. Once the galaxy sees first hand the potential of their species, I'm sure it'll help them into the council."_

_Garrus frowned. "But, Nihlus-"_

"_No. They may not be ready yet, but they soon will be. Look at this human, Commander Shepard. She is going head to head with some of our best, including you. They're smart, strong- I even once heard an asari justicar talk of the incredible individuality of their species. To think- of every human being in the galaxy right now- every single one of them is different. With every other species, we typically know what they're going to be like, but you can't ever possibly know what a human will be like."_

"_I don't know, maybe our species are changing. Look at you for example. If a general heard the way you were speaking, he'd send an asari commando team after your ass." Garrus teased._

_Nihlus grinned. "Oh, I'm offended. I think I'm at least worth a little more than an asari commando unit."_

Garrus smiled at the memory. He set the photograph down gently. His eyes landed on a data pad. Looking it over, it lit up with the latest entry. His mind realizing it was Nihlus' personal thoughts.

Garrus took a seat on the bed, he flicked through the entries. One caught his eye, it was the year he remembered very plainly. The war had been going for sixteen years, and Nihlus had just been named a spectre. It was the first time the two had been separated. Nihlus disappeared for several months on a mission, that to this day he still had no idea what had happened.

_**Year 2170, Day 1**_

_For everything I have heard of humans, nothing truly readied me for what I would face. Humans are smarter and tougher than we give them credit for. Especially this one woman here, Sergeant Vance. _

_She knows I'm here, but she hasn't alerted the rest of her squad yet. She's toying with me. _

_**Year 2170, Day 2**_

_I made the mistake to move in earlier. I underestimated Vance- she's far more intelligent than I could have ever guessed. I feel like I am cattle, and she is herding me to where she wants me to be. Every move I make, I find it is a mistake because it is exactly as she wants it._

_Vance nailed me in the shoulder with a concussive round. I think she's giving me a warning. _

_**Year 2170, Day 3**_

_I should have killed her. I had her cornered, and I hesitated and I can't figure out why. This woman is intriguing. She still hasn't alerted her squad to my presence, and I still don't know why. Her hand to hand is incredible._

_She kicked my ass all up and down this cruiser. I think I might be in love._

_**Year 2170, Day 4**_

_I can't get her out of my mind. I am squatting down in the lower decks, and all I can think about is Vance. I wonder what she tastes like, feels like, and looks like under all that armor. Maybe, I am just going crazy. But I don't think I am._

_She should have been born turian. Vance is tough, and she has a waist line that kills me. What the hell is wrong with me?_

_**Year 2170, Day 5**_

_I can say for sure, that I do not have an allergy to levo's and neither does she to dextro's. I am not even sure how it happened, we were fighting one moment and then the next- we were fucking in the lower decks. _

_She makes this sound whenever she's really pleased, and it just sounds so satisfied. It's driving me crazy. I want to hear that sound again and again._

_**Year 2170, Day 6**_

_Just received a transmission from the hierarchy. They want this ship blown out of the sky. I can't let my mistakes deter me from the mission. _

_I will regret every day not taking her with me. Maybe it is for the best. The turian's would never approve of such a relationship._

_**Year 2170, Day 6**_

_I just got clear of the ship blast. I can't say I am particularly pleased. This day fucking sucks._

_**Year 2170, Day 7**_

_That GODDAMN woman made it! Here I was, mourning her loss and an unknown call comes in. That sweet voice, taunting me, "Nice try, Nihlus. See ya' around." _

_I could hear the smile on her voice. I won't make the same mistake. If we ever meet again, I will tell her of my love and ask her to be my mate. Fuck the hierarchy and the council. I want Verona Vance for myself, for the rest of my life._

Garrus chuckled weakly. That stupid turian. He was never going to make a move on Shepard, he still loved his Verona. His heart felt as if it were breaking. He gave a shuddering breath and murmured softly.

"Nihlus- why did you have to go?"

* * *

**Sorry this took so long! I promise the next chapter will be much quicker! Also, the next chapter will be the end of the story. I may continue it on later, but I'm not going to commit myself to something that I can't continue. I don't want to disappoint anyone. So we'll see what happens. I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! Thank you SO much for reading!**


	15. Goodbye, For Now

**The Captive**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 15: Goodbye, For Now

* * *

"So...this is Palaven."

Shepard stood in awe as her eyes combed over the landscape. It was beautiful. The clouds set against the dark land and plant life. The dirt wasn't brown, but more a twisted color of gray and blue.

Garrus nodded his head. "This is where Nihlus was born. His family thought it best to bury him in his favorite childhood spot."

Shepard brushed her hand across her lips as she thought of her friend. It had been difficult since that terrible day. She had been rushed all across the galaxy. They first returned to the Citadel to report the mission's success and of the tragedies that occurred.

She and Zaeed were honored for their actions against the traitor. Zaeed returned to the Alliance, he promised not to let on where Shepard had been all this time. That would be dealt with soon- now, she just wanted to lay her friend to rest.

Shepard knew this fight wasn't over though. She'd have to return to the Alliance, end this war and help with humanity's expansion. The galaxy would need their help. Vitani hadn't been the leader- someone pulled her in and Shepard had to find out who and put an end to it.

This involved the galaxy in it's entirety; it was no longer humans, turians, asari- it was every galactic civilizations duty to the survival of every living organic species to fight together. And Shepard would ensure that happened.

She breathed in the sweet air, admiring her surroundings. Garrus spoke softly, "We need to get to the funeral service. You're not welcome here, and it would be a shame to have to fight off a riot."

Shepard gave him a lopsided smile. "It would be _such_ a shame."

Garrus gave a low rumble, his talons threaded through her hair as he gave her a nudge. "Come on."

It didn't take long to approach the site. Nihlus' body was adorned in ceremonial armor. He lay on a pedestal, surrounded by plant life. His assault rifle was laid parallel to his body. His talons were crossed at the barrel over his chest.

Garrus spoke softly, "We do not bury our people. We do a form of cremation, to free them of their body so they can return to what you call heaven among the other spirits."

"What about the gun and the armor?"

"We never send a turian anywhere without proper equipment, the afterlife is no different. When he gets there, he'll be well armored. We believe that the better he is sent off, the better he will be received."

"So, it's like an afterlife hierarchy kind of thing?"

"Sort of."

Shepard's eyes ran up the bark of the tree-like plant that shadowed over the ceremony. It was very similar to a weeping willow- except it appeared to be weeping. It's limbs swayed back and forth; and the bark structure cracked and shed. Garrus followed her gaze.

"Our foliage is much different to Earth's. It feels the aura's of the people surrounding it. It remembers, and it can mourn, feel happiness, and feel loneliness. Nihlus grew up here, and it remembers him- you are seeing it mourn."

Shepard stared in awe. "That's incredible."

Garrus smiled gently. "The plant life has sculpted our society into what it is. We are very careful in our actions because it can effect the life of Palaven as a whole. You cut down a tree, and you are killing another's friend, family- it's everything. They rely on each other for survival. This tree is by itself because the turian's here offer it companionship and life."

He paused as his eyes combed the mourning tree. His voice softer and deeper rumbled, "I don't know if it'll survive with Nihlus dead. They essentially grew up together."

Shepard looked at him, her eyes wide with wonder. "Garrus...I-I can't even fathom-"

He smiled, "I know. It's a lot to take in."

A turian stepped up before Nihlus and cleared his throat. "Who is this?" Shepard whispered. Garrus bent down to reply, "Primarch Fedorian, he is like a president to your people. It took a lot of convincing of him to allow you to come here."

She nodded her head gently.

"Only a week ago today we lost a member to our civilization. An upstanding soldier and Spectre. It was the greatest pleasure to have known him personally, and even greater to have had the opportunity to work with him. Nihlus Kryik was the best of us. He was kind when it mattered and fierce when the time called for it. He defended countless civilians with his life and with a sort of determination that isn't lost to us. May the afterlife serve you well, my friend."

Garrus pushed Shepard towards the memorial. She looked at him her eyes wide, he whispered, "Go. It's your turn to say something. Don't start a riot."

She gave a soft hiccup of a laugh. Her teeth ground into her lower lip nervously as she neared the front of the large service. A soft uproar began to erupt as their eyes laid on her. A human. At a service for a dead turian.

Fedorian called for silence as his arms crossed behind his back and nodded to her to begin. Shepard straightened up in her newly shined coal black armor. The red stripe glistened brightly under the ray of the sun setting on the horizon.

"I am Commander Shepard and I had the honor of fighting alongside Nihlus during the fight against a traitor."

She paused, her tongue ran across her lips as her gaze settled on the body of her friend. He was so peaceful- and it hurt her to know he had died in such pain.

"I fought for a long time in this war against the turian race- and during my time as a captive I got to know Nihlus quite well. Every day I was amazed by your race, the heroism and duty to self and beyond, the discipline...It is so incredible."

Her eyes lifted to the silenced crowd. They scrutinized her, she nodded her head and began again.

"I had the honor to learn about your race from this man. His kindness and loyalty and bravery- it hurts me that he died at the hands of a traitor. If there had been anyway to save him, I would have given my life without a second thought. The galaxy is a lesser place without him and I feel blessed to have gotten to meet him and befriend him. I have learned many things in the time I spent as a captive and I just hope that I can return the friendship your race has extended to me, and I hope that in time I can help heal the wound of Nihlus' death. Thank you."

Before she left, her head fell, and her voice fell to a hoarse and faint whisper as the pain knotted in her throat. She left a deep breath, "Give em' hell, buddy."

Shepard returned to Garrus' side, a few turians nodded their heads to each other. Scrutiny had been lifted and a tentative curiosity replaced it. Garrus nodded his head to her as flames burst up around Nihlus.

The fire crackled in the sunset. The tree swept back and forth, mourning the loss of a friend.

* * *

Shepard took a deep breath as she neared the shuttle. Victus smiled gently. He extended a hand to her and she gripped it firmly.

"It was a pleasure fighting with you, Commander."

"The pleasure is mine, General." She smiled sadly. "I'm going to miss this ship, and all of you." She gestured to the turian's surrounding her. Victus gave another smile, "We'll meet again someday, and I look forward to it."

He pat her on the back and left the bay. Several of the crew said their goodbyes. Shepard smiled and nodded her head, shaking their hands and patting backs. As the last one left, her steely gray eyes connected with the deep blue ones of Garrus Vakarian.

He smiled weakly. "I- uh, guess this goodbye."

Shepard nodded her head. "Yes, it is."

The turian looked down at his feet, "I hate to see you go, sure you can't stay?"

The small woman laughed. "I wish I could. I really do."

She approached him carefully, her hands wrapped around his talons. Garrus leaned his head into her hair, nuzzling and breathing in her scent. Shepard ran a hand along his mandible, a soft smile crossed her face as she took in the sight of him one last time.

"Stay alive for me."

"Only if you promise the same."

Garrus laughed, "Deal." His smile faded as she drew away.

"I better get going, or I'll never leave."

The turian nodded his head, "Goodbye Athena."

Shepard's smile brightened at his use of her first name. "Goodbye, for now, Garrus."

He watched her small form enter the shuttle. She gave a last wave before the doors shut and it lifted up off the bay floor. The hum of the engines grew distant as it exited the ship. He stood at the doors, at a loss.

The shuttle disappeared from view, along with a woman he wanted by his side forever as a mate. He sighed sadly and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. His omni-tool pinged with a message.

_**Message encrypted. Deletion immediate upon reading.**_

_**Saren is the traitor.**_

* * *

**Whoo! Story is done for now, maybe I'll continue it in a second part through the mass effect series later, maybe not. But this story itself is done and I thank allllll of you for reading and reviewing! I REALLY appreciate all the feedback I've gotten from y'all! You guys are the best! Thank you SO much!**


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